War of Hearts
by gilcrust
Summary: What would you say if I told you I was bit by a walker? What if I told you I am immune? What if I told you that I would do anything to share it with the people I love...but I can't. Rated M for smut and mentions of abuse, character deaths will vary from the tv show storyline. Daryl X OC.
1. Don't Freak Out

(Chloe's POV)

"Chloe! Chloe!" I hear Sophia calling from outside of the tent and I pull myself into a sitting position on my pink sleeping bag.

"What Soph?" I reply.

"Somebody's on the radio. There's more people out there. Come listen!" She unzips the tent popping her head inside. Her dirty blonde hair held away from her face with two blue barrettes.

"Ok." I laugh, laying down my book on the tent floor and running after her through the tent entrance. Everyone is gathered around the transmitter even Dale is leaning over the side of the RV roof to get a good listen. "Sophia said there's someone on the radio?" I yell over to Amy who's kneeling by the tree stump supporting the radio.

"There was, but they're gone now." She steps over toward Sophia and I in front of the RV.

"I told you we should be puttin up signs on the highway." Lori says to Shane standing across the way from us with Carl between them.

"Who's gonna do that?" Shane shakes his head as if the suggestion is uncalled for when there are other people out there. There's strength in numbers.

"I will." Lori argues bringing her right hand up to her brow to block the sun.

"No it's too dangerous," I roll my eyes at his response.

"I could go." I suggest looking between the two of them.

"Maybe, we'll see. You know nobody goes anywhere alone and little Dixon is off huntin' so..." Shane trails off rubbing the back of his head.

"Maybe I was gonna bring someone else." I shrug, even with Daryl hunting and Andrea, T-Dog, Glenn and Merle out on a supply run there's still plenty of able bodies here at camp.

"Like who?" He wonders narrowing his dark eyes at me from across the way.

"Amy?" I sneak a peak in her direction.

"Yeah um I could come." She shrugs. She hasn't been up close and personal with one of this things yet, neither have I but Daryl's been teaching me some. Like I know that you have to get them in the brain for it to have any affect. Eventually Amy would have to learn how to defend herself, we all would. Even Sophia.

"See?" I smile triumphantly. Lori on the left of Shane smirks knowing I've more than proved my case.

"What exactly am I supposed to tell Dixon when he gets back and you're not here? What vehicle would you even take?" He's grasping at straws now. Saying anything he can to make me stay.

"The bike." I motion toward the black motorcycle among the heap of cars near the entrance to camp.

"No way in hell you're leavin' without tellin' Daryl and takin' the bike. No good will come of that and Amy of all people? I mean no offense but let's be real." Shane throws up his hands in exasperation like I'm the unreasonable one.

"Ok so we don't even try?" Lori pulls his attention over to her.

"Wait for Dixon." Shane says again looking at her over Carl's head.

"Daryl doesn't own me, he is not judge and jury when it comes to my life!" Daryl is not my boyfriend, he's barely even my friend and even if he were more than that who is Shane to say who's more qualified to make decisions about my life than I am.

"Yeah well, let's not cut off our nose to spite our face." He says after a moment of silence.

"Fine, I'll just go do some laundry. That's what I'm good for right?" I set off back toward my tent with Sophia trailing behind me.

"I didn't say all that." Shane hollers after me but I don't spare him another second of my time. I grab the basket of dirty clothes. I hate it here. I hate how the men think woman can't do shit accept wash clothes and cook dinner. I wanna be more than that. I want more than that for my mom, I want more than that for my little sister who might grow up and not even remember what the world was like before all this. I was eight when Sophia was born, before that I didn't realize exactly what it meant to love someone more than I loved myself. I was just a child. A child feeding a newborn baby in the closet because her mom and dad were fighting so bad that she was afraid to be anywhere else. A child helping her mother cover bruises with concealer before Thanksgiving dinner. A child who had to grow up too fast in order to protect her kid sister because her mother couldn't even protect herself. We make our way down to the creek with the laundry baskets. Rolling up my pants to the knee I dip the bottom of my legs and feet into the water, Sophia follows suit. Out here we're far enough from Shane and all of his high horse bullshit that I can forget about it for a moment.

"You have to wash the underwear, they stink and I'm sure I seen a skid mark." Sophia says flinging the pair of boxers into my bin of clothing. I gape at her for a moment, never in her life has my baby sister said anything like that.

"You did not," I laugh, "who taught you what a skid mark was anyway?" I wonder, taking the scrub brush to the stained blue t-shirt at the top of my pile.

"Merle." She admits picking up a pair of shorts and wetting them.

"Well I'm gonna have to talk to him about his colorful vocabulary as soon as he gets home." I splash a handful of water toward her.

"Yeah," she giggles, wringing the soap out of the shorts before rinsing them out. I hear footsteps to the left, shuffling down the path from the tents to where we're sitting at on the rocks.

"Don't freak out." Glenn calls before he's even close enough for me to make out more than his silhouette.

"Why would I freak out?" I stand up abandoning the t-shirt into the basket once more.

"Because of Merle." Glenn pants when he's finally within a few feet of us. Sophia is still washing clothes to my right.

"What'd he do now?" I sigh in exasperation. Andrea and T-Dog come to a stop on either side of Glenn, the three of them facing me.

"New guy cuffed him to a pipe on the roof of a department store in Atlanta." Glenn says quickly squeezing his eyes shut.

"HE WHAT?" I feel the vein on the side of my neck pulse rapidly.

"You weren't supposed to freak out." Glenn scratches the back of his neck beneath his ball cap.

"Sophia go play with Carl." I say through gritted teeth.

"No I wanna stay with you." She argues, "I won't listen I promise if it's grown up talk I'll just ignore you and wash the clothes. I can help you."

"I know you wanna help." I turn toward her and she nods excitedly. "But right now, I really need you to just go play."

"Fine," she huffs standing up and trudging back up the path to the tents.

"Where's this new guy?" I look between the three of them expectantly.

"My name is Rick, Rick Grimes." He approaches from the left, behind T-Dog, holding his hand out for me to shake but I slap it away.

"Merle was beating up T-Dog somebody had to do something." Andrea says by way of explanation.

"So did they...eat him?" I whisper the last part, afraid to even speak the words out loud.

"No, I chained the door shut so the geeks can't get at him." T-Dog informs me, this makes it a little easier to stomach. Knowing that he's not dead.

"So he's still up there? Alive?"

"Yeah." The new guy Rick nods. I finally take a good look at him, he's wearing a uniform and sheriff's hat. Not that it matters what or who he used to be. We all end up in the same size grave.

"What are you guys gonna tell Daryl?" I wonder picking at the dirt under my fingernails.

"Actually we were thinking it might sound better coming from you." Glenn says nervously. He's been a good friend to me since we've known each other, that's why him even asking this of me throws me for a loop.

"No. Absolutely not, why me? I wasn't even with you." I scoff taking a step away from them, suddenly feeling ganged up on.

"Exactly, he's not gonna be as mad at you." Andrea treads gently knowing they're all on thin ice. I pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger as I consider what they're asking me to do.

"I wanna go back for him." Rick says and I lift my head to look at him.

"Really?"

"What we did. Nobody deserves to die like that." Somehow I believe what he's saying.

"I'll tell Daryl. I'll figure it out." I nod my consent before turning back to the laundry. Who knows when Daryl will be back. I might not have to deal with this for another day or two.

"Chloe wait," T-Dog calls after me. "I really am sorry I just dropped the key."

"You couldn't pick it up?"

"Down the drain." He elaborates. The story is starting to come together now. I understand why they all did what they did. I just wish the outcome was different.

A scream echos down from near the tree line and we race up with our weapons at the ready. One of the geeks wandered up near camp feeding on a deer. I spot Sophia huddled behind mom, dad as usual isn't around to help with anything. Dale at the center of the commotion brings his ax down, cutting off it's head effectively stilling the creature. Our attention is then pulled by the rustling just beyond the trees, I pull my knife from the sheath on my hip. I'm ready for the next one. Stepping slowly to the front of the group, I try to slow my breathing; waiting for it to emerge. When the body passes the tree branches I drop the knife to my side.

"Jesus Christ," Shane scoffs when he sees Daryl approaching the clearing.

"That was my deer! I've been trackin' it for miles. I was gonna drag it back to camp and cook us up some venison. Before it got eaten by this ugly, motherless, proxy, bastard." Daryl punctuates each word with a kick to the corpse. His skin slick with sweat, cross bow hanging over his shoulder.

"Hey I'm glad you're back." I smile putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Why you hungry or somethin'?" Daryl squints down at me. I don't ever touch him unless we're about to hook up and I certainly do not touch him in front of the group. I mentally face palm, he knows something is wrong.

"Uh no; I actually wanted to talk to you." I begin, ringing my hands.

"What is it?" He whispers stepping closer so that we're almost touching.

"There was a problem in Atlanta. With Merle." His eyes move from my restless hands to my face.

"Is he dead?" He pulls away when I reach for him.

"No...it's a little complicated but I don't want you to panic." I try to close the distance between us again but like a caged animal he skirts away from me. Dale and Jim are closest to him now, less than a foot behind him.

"Is he alive or ain't he?" His voice is demanding this time and I nearly blanch at his tone.

"Yes but-"

"Where is he?" He cuts me off desperate for answers that I'm terrified to give.

(Daryl's POV)

"I handcuffed him to a roof, but he's still alive." Some prick I've never seen before cuts in. I step aroun' Chloe to get a good look at exactly who the fuck I'm gonna kill today.

"Who the hell is this?" I turn back to Chloe, pointin' a finger in his direction.

"I'm Rick." He answers for her, only servin' to piss me off more.

"Yeah well Rick let me process this for a second. You cuffed my brother to a roof and left him there to die?" I clarify before decidin' my next move.

"I know it sounds bad." Chloe tugs at my wrist, beggin' for my attention but I don't have any to give at the moment.

"Get offa me Chloe." I warn. I don't wanna hurt her but I'm not sure if I can stop myself if she don't let go of me. Everything goes red and I charge Ranger Rick but dickhead Shane cuts me off tacklin' me to the ground so I pull my knife.

"Daryl stop it." I pause for just a second at the sound of her voice, turnin' my head givin' Shane enough time to get his arms around my neck.

"Choke holds are illegal!" I grunt as he brings me to the groun' on my knees in front a him.

"Yeah, file a complaint." He continues to hold me but I don't stop tryin' to break free.

"Shane!" Chloe scolds him rushin' over to the left side of us.

"Relax I'm not hurtin' him." Shane blows her off the way he always does.

"All I want is to have a calm conversation, are you willin' to do that?" The son of a bitch Rick says crutchin' down so we're at eye level.

"Just tell me where he is, so I can go get em." I stammer to my feet when Shane releases me.

"He'll do you one better. He'll show you. Won't you Rick?" Lori says crossin' her arms over her chest.

"Yeah." He agrees.

"I'm coming too." Chloe volunteers and I know there ain't no point arguin'.

"So that's your big plan? You, Chloe, and Daryl?" Shane looks between the three of us.

"We'll be fine." Rick insists.

Chloe moves over to Glenn on the right of Rick and Shane, "don't freak out, but I want you to come."

"Oh man," he sighs, running his hands over his face. I don't know what's goin' on there but I don't trust him.

"Please. I'd feel better with you there." Lori adds.

"Fine." The Asian nods.

"Well then I'm comin' too," T-Dog announces like he's some kinda hero. I wanna kick his teeth out.

"Why you wanna come anyway? It's your fault he got left up there." I bare my teeth at him.

"I don't expect you to understand, we don't speak the same language." He spits. Everybody starts walkin' back toward camp until it's just Chloe and me in the clearin'.

"Just cause I stopped your daddy from beatin' up on your mom once don't mean we're friends." I brush past her.

"I am your friend." She replies defiantly.

"Last damn friend I had took my money and left me tied upside down to a tree branch by my shoe laces."

"Well I assure you I'm a much better friend than he was." She's so fuckin' persistent it annoys the shit outta me.

"You were here when it happened right?" I change the subject, I ain't in no mood for arguin' at least not with her.

"Yeah, I was hoping you'd be back soon with that venison you promised me." She bumps my shoulder.

"I didn't promise you shit and you coulda had it but the geek got to it first." I grumble pickin' up my pace.

"Don't you mean the ugly, motherless, proxy, bastard?"

"That works too... why do you really wanna come?" I ask, lookin' over at her.

"What if it was me up there? Would you come back?" Her eyes meet mine and I look away.

"I guess so," I shrug, "I ain't got nothin' better to do."

"Ok then, you're my friend too. So anything you need I got your back."

"I didn't come to the tent and threaten Ed's life for your mom last week. I did it because I heard you screamin' and I thought that son of a bitch was hittin' you." I don't know why I'm tellin' her that. It don't matter. Not really.

"I thought you didn't care."

"I don't care."

"You got a funny way of not caring about someone."

"Mind your own damn business and I'll mind mine."

"Ok." I see the smile playin' at her lips and feel my own mouth twitch without permission.


	2. Any Port in a Storm

**(A/N Thanks so much for the reviews, favs, and follows. I hope this chapter flows better and you find it easier to navigate the scenes as far as where everyone is. As always I love to hear your feed back.)**

(Chloe's POV)

Later that night we're all sitting around the fire, everyone accept Dale who's keeping watch on top of the RV and Daryl who's off doing God knows what in his tent.

"Baby, I don't like you going out there with those things; why don't you just stay here?" Mom says, pulling my hair over my shoulder tenderly. I squint to see across the low flames of the fire, Amy is looking at me with an expression that tells me she agrees. Rick and Lori are curled up with Carl to the left of Amy and Andrea. For a moment I consider what she's saying, but then I look toward the dark blue tent slightly distanced from all the others.

"It's the right thing to do. It'd be easy to just sit back and do nothing but that's not the right thing." I look over at mom to my right and she nods. I catch a glimpse of Sophia beside her, she's playing with the worn fabric at the end of her tan capris. Off in her own world where she belongs. I know why mom worries, she always used to say that when I had a daughter of my own she'd be twice the little spitfire I was and that would serve me right.

"Bet you'd feel differently if you weren't fuckin' him." Dad sneers and I blanch. Everyone is watching now, I feel their eyes burning holes in me. Even Shane on the left of Dad and Jackie in her floral top, looking on in disgust. At Dad? Or at me? Maybe both, it doesn't matter.

"Ed please not in front of Sophia." Mom whispers putting her hands over Sophia's ears as if that will help.

"Why are we tryin' to keep secrets now?" He cranes his head to see past me, down to Sophia. Who immediately began to cry. "You think she can't tell that her big sister is screwin' some old redneck in the woods? She's twelve, not stupid." He waves his hand around like the idiot he is. Standing up casting shadows on the dirt.

"Mom take Sophia to the tent." I stand up as he does turning to face him, shielding them from him the only way I could.

"No stay, they need to hear exactly who you are. What you're doin, against the trees like a couple of animals. You think you're special? You think he gives a damn about you? Any port in a storm Chloe, that's all you are, that's all you'll ever be." The back of his hand comes down on my cheek. The sound of it echoing up to the sky, I stare at him as if he's grown a second head. I hear gasps in all directions but I don't break eye contact.

"You have lost your damn mind. You do not own me; don't you get that? Nobody owns me! And if you or anybody else has a problem with that you can shove it!" I shout indignantly. He raises his hand to me again but I don't back down.

"Don't you dare. Put your hand down you ugly son of a bitch before I make you put it down." I turn to face him, Daryl. My brain registers, his eyes dark, jaw twitching in anger.

"You gonna shoot me?" Ed laughs.

"It's takin' everythin' in me not to." He breathes. "Chloe, Sophia, come on. Carol too."

I pass mom quickly, my first instinct to grab Sophia. I lift her up like a child making my way toward Daryl slowly but Ed grabs mom by the wrist when she tries to follow."I will break her arm right now." He threatens, "just leave us be this doesn't concern you."

"Yeah it does. Let her go. Now!"

He starts to twist, several people jump up and before I can comprehend what's happening Shane is on top of him punching him again and again.

"Are you ok mommy?" Sophia reaches out for her.

"I'm fine." Mom says smoothing down Sophia's hair. "Are you ok?" Her voice cracks when she turns my face to the side where he hit me.

"I'm ok," I try to smile but my face aches in protest.

"If you put your hands on your wife or either of those girls again I will beat you to death Ed," Shane snarls while Ed chokes and sputters up blood onto the ground, "I'll beat you to death."

"You're bleedin." Daryl says letting the cross bow rest against his back on the strap. "Here let me." He licks his right thumb, rubbing it gently across the corner of my mouth. "You took that one like a man. Most girls woulda went down with a hit like that."

"Well I'm not most girls." I remind him, turning my back on the pulverized nightmare that is my father.

"You ain't any port in a storm either." He adds casually.

"I know." I bump his shoulder with my own.

He smirks. "Get your stuff, the three a ya. You ain't sleepin in the same tent as this sorry prick." He makes sure to say it loud enough for my father to hear.

"I thought you didn't care about me." I taunt him as I always do when he goes out of his way for me.

"Maybe that ain't as true as it used to be." He shrugs running his thumb across his bottom lip.

* * *

(Glenn's POV)

I wake up with a lump in my throat the size of a watermelon. This is not the way I want to spend today, or any day for that matter. But Chloe's my best friend, she was the first decent person I met since everything went to shit. She was just a stranger standing next to me on the shoulder of the highway, rubbing my back while I blew chunks watching jets drop bombs into the city. I was trying to get home, trying to bring back food for my parents and sisters but I was too late. It was all gone. She was with me on the worst day of my life. I owe her.

"Glenn, we're getting ready to leave." Chloe pops her head into the RV and spots me and Andrea sitting at the table facing each other.

"You sure you wanna do this? You didn't see the city last time there's geeks everywhere." I warn knowing it doesn't matter what I say once her mind is made up.

"If you don't come I won't be upset. I know that you're nervous. I am too but I'm going." She tugs at the end of her french braid impatiently.

"Let me just grab my bag." I sigh. Andrea rolls her eyes at me knowing Chloe can't see with her back facing the door.

"You're the best, you know that?" Chloe says kicking at the tile floor near the entrance.

"Believe me I know."

The horn of the box truck sounds twice, "Come on lets go!" I hear Daryl shout.

"Somebody's gotta put a muzzle on him." Andrea grumbles continuing to sharpen her knife.

"I'm working on it." Chloe smiles.

"Chloe!" He hollers at the top of his lungs.

"I am coming! Jesus Christ." She turns, storms out of the rv.

"A match made in hell." Andrea retorts. "Don't let them get you killed."

"I won't." I nod taking my pack and leaving the RV. I make my way to box truck, jumping up into the back.

"Uh Uh Jet Li, you're drivin'." Daryl says.

"You've gotta be kidding me," I mutter under my breath; hopping back to the ground and walking around to swing open the driver's side door.

"You ok?" Rick asks from the passenger side as I turn the key over.

"I'm living the dream." I reply sarcastically. We drive in silence for a while until we reach the train tracks. "We walk from here." Rick and I join the others at the back of the truck.

"Are we close to the store?" Chloe wonders, falling in step on my left.

"About five minutes out." I move into a jog to keep up with Rick and Daryl in front. T-Dog bringing up the rear just a few steps behind us.

"It's nice to be out." Chloe grins.

"This isn't a vacation. Have you even thought about what's gonna happen if Merle...died." I whisper the last part knowing Dixon is just up ahead.

"He's alive." She says with such conviction that I almost believe her.

"Ok fine; then what does that mean for you, your mom, and Sophia? Where are you gonna go? You really think you can all just stay in that tent when Merle comes back?" I try one last time to talk sense into her.

"We'll make it work." She snaps, "thank you for worrying about me. That's what friends do but I know what I'm doing. I'm not blind to the way Daryl can be but there's more to him then just that."

"I saw what he did last night. I'm not saying he's not willing to kill for you but this is his brother we're talking about. If Merle says jump Daryl jumps."

"My mom used to jump when my dad said," She shrugs. "She doesn't anymore. Sometimes you just have to knock the big guy down a peg and give the little guy a chance to stand up, they'll do the rest by themself."

"So you're gonna let Merle bitch slap you across the face too? Just to prove your point? I'm sorry but your plan has got to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. You are not a sacrificial lamb. I realize you have some kind of supergirl complex but you can't save everyone; and guess what? You can't save anyone if you get yourself killed." I speed up leaving her behind. Daryl glares at me as I pass him but I don't care if he heard me because everything I said is true and she knows it. Finally we reach the department store, pushing in the double doors my heart pounds in the confines of my chest. The store isn't over run like it was when we left. Just one geek and Chloe pulls her knife signaling the rest of us to stand down as she stakes it right in the brain.

"Show off." Daryl scoffs at her.

"I swear that was my first time." She bats her eyelashes before moving to the stairs on the right of the store, taking them two at a time. T-Dog uses the wire cutters breaking the rusty chain on the door and Chloe presses her back to the stairwell allowing everyone else to pass.

"Merle! Merle!" Daryl screams kicking the door open and rushing out onto the roof. T-Dog and Rick go next, I hear her breathe deeply once, twice, three times just waiting for any sign of what's out there. She reaches down for my hand squeezing hard. "No, No!" This time he sounds on the verge of tears.

Chloe's eyes close for a moment before looking up at the ceiling, "give me strength." She steps through the doorway quickly like ripping off a band aid and hear her wretch onto the pavement a second later. I don't need to go out there to understand that something terrible has happened. Maybe he's out there dead. Maybe he's been eaten alive or maybe he's one of them. But not in one of these scenarios did I imagine he'd cut off his own hand; but that's exactly what he did.


	3. Prodding the Bull

(Chloe's POV)

'Just breathe. It's just a bad day, not a bad life.' That's what Mom always used to say. I'm not sure which famous poet or inspirational calendar she pulled that load of horse shit from but it's a nice thought. The idea that tomorrow will be better. Finding Merle's severed hand aside of the saw blade was just a bad day right? Not a bad life... 'If you fuck someone over, they're gonna fuck you back and not in the way you want them to.' That's what Dad used to say, I'm sure that quote was straight from the horse's mouth. It's not as pretty as Mom's saying but it's something I know to be true. That's why when Daryl raises his crossbow to T-Dog I'm already standing in his way and why Rick already has his gun pointed at Daryl's head. Everybody on this roof top is tired of getting fucked.

"Lower your weapon Daryl." Rick warns from the right, the barrel of his gun pressed firmly to Daryl's head. "I won't hesitate to pull this trigger and I don't care if every walker in the city hears it."

I'm still in front of T-Dog putting as much space between him and Daryl as I can. Daryl keeps his eyes locked on his target behind my head breathing heavily. We're facing each other, so close that I can see his nostrils flare the muscles in his arms tensing and releasing as he considers what Rick said. But I can see in his eyes all he's really debating upon is whether or not be can land the arrow in T-Dog's head without hitting me in the process. He must think he can because his right finger is poised and ready to pull the trigger at any second.

"Listen, just listen to me damn you!" I shove Daryl back hard, my hands slamming against his chest so roughly that he nearly loses his footing and falls on his ass. "Killing T-Dog does not help us find Merle. Following the trail of the blood does, he could be right down stairs bleeding out while you're up here having a cock fight. T-Dog made a mistake, we all do it, but he's here to make it right now so you have got to stop pointing the finger and placing blame."

"Merle ain't got many fingers to point nowadays." Daryl spits, taking a deep breath. "You got a dew rag or somethin'" He turns his gaze on T-Dog behind me on the left, T-Dog nods begrudgingly reaching into his back left pocket and pulling out the piece of material and waving it in front of Daryl. Rick is obviously still wary of the situation at hand, he's standing catty corner to me know, his gun still hasn't returned to the holster on his hip. Glenn starts making his way over from the metal door we came through; his thumbs hooked under the straps of his book bag. Keeping his distance just observing us all like someone at the zoo waiting for one of the lions to pounce.

"It looks like the saw blade was too dull to cut through the chain...ain't that a bitch." Daryl takes a step forward to grab the bandanna from T-Dog. Kneeling he unfolds it, laying it on the ground beside Merle's hand. He lifts it by the pinkie spinning it around to take a closer look before placing it gently in the blue fabric. He pulls himself back to his feet walking over toward Glenn. His dark brown eyes bug out when Daryl moves behind him, pulling open the top of Glenn's bag. I want to say no, that Daryl's taking it too far but we have to chose our battles carefully and Glenn sees it on my face.

"Are you kidding?" He mouths to me silently.

"I'm sorry," I mouth back. Daryl behind him is completely obvious to our exchange but T-Dog and Rick standing near the ledge of the roof have a clear view of everything. I turn my back on the four of them my eyes falling onto the droplets of blood on the cement. Damn you Merle, why couldn't you just stay put?

"Come on." Daryl huffs passing us all on this way through the metal door on the opposite side of the way we entered. The descending staircase is more narrow, leading into a tan room with a sofa, a couple lamps and a stove. The burners were still lit, pieces of something charred littering the surface and the pan nearby.

"What's all that burnt stuff?" Glenn asks peering through the gap left between me and Daryl's shoulders. T-Dog and Rick keep their distance a few feet away, not needing to get a closer look to realize what was on the burner.

"Skin." Rick says taking a step to his left following Merle's trail into the room on our right. Daryl is hot on his heels not wanting to miss a single detail in our investigation.

"After you." T-Dog says motioning to the doorway where Rick, Daryl, and Glenn have disappeared through.

I swallow the lump in my throat, my skin crawling at the prospect of what happened in this room not long ago. I step quickly into the next room, there are two geeks on the floor. "I gotta hand it to Merle, no pun intended, he is a one tough son of a bitch."

"He musta cauterized the stump." Daryl nods in acknowledgment of my statement. Stepping over the female geek and her male counterpart.

"Any man can pass out from blood loss." Rick points out from his place in the center of the room.

"Please refrain from prodding the bull." I mutter under my breath as I pass between Rick and Glenn, moving briskly to catch up with Daryl who's stormed away from the group for a second time.

"I'm just sayin'." Rick shrugs.

"Well don't." Glenn backs me up and I look over my shoulder to afford him a small smile which he doesn't return.

"Missin' a little blood didn't stop him from takin' out these dumb dead bastards." Daryl reasons, stopping at the broken glass on the floor near the corner. This calls his attention to the shattered window leading out back into the street.

"It looks like Merle has left the building." I run my finger tips over the skin between my eyebrows, hoping to stop the throbbing that's taken root there. Resting my back on the far left wall beside the window sill.

"That's a'ight, just doin' what he gotta do to survive." Daryl looks over at me, I force my face into a smile for reassurance.

"You call that survivin' wandering out into the street where he could pass out from blood loss?" T-Dog takes his turn hanging his head out the broken window.

"No worse than rottin' up there chained to a pipe by you sorry pricks!" Daryl snaps and for a second I think he might push T-Dog out.

"Look, he's family I get that I went through hell to find mine. We can help you look around a couple streets he couldn't have gotten far with that injury but only if you keep a level head." Rick says delicately.

"I can do that," Daryl nods and I reach down to give his hand a squeeze, the left side of his mouth curls up marginally.

"I'm only goin' if we get the guns first I'm not wanderin the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions." T-Dog clears his throat effectively putting distance between Daryl and I as if we need any help doing that.

"We get the guns, we find Merle, we go home. In that order." I offer, looking between them all daring anyone to argue. Surely this is a compromise we can all live with.

"In that order." Rick agrees.

"You good with that?" I turn to the right to see Daryl's reaction.

"Ain't got much of a choice do I?" He spits taking a step forward toward Rick and Glenn on his left.

"Not unless you wanna go it alone." I push the hair that's fallen out of my braid away behind my ears.

"I'd be ok, you might not." His jaw twitches the way it does when he's stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"You gonna risk our lives to prove a point?" I toy with the knife on my hip.

"Ya could come with me." He shrugs.

"I could, but I won't."

"Fine, ta hell with you."

"You're leaving? "I step forward, catching him by the wrist.

"I'm goin' to get those guns, you comin' or what?" He shakes me off.

"We need a plan." I call after him as he stalks off the way we came.

"I got a plan, we go down there and get the guns it's pretty fuckin' simple."

"We need a better plan." I clarify, "One where we all live."

"I've got an idea." Glenn offers, walking back to the room with the stove and table. Rick follows him first, then Daryl and T-Dog. I stay against the wall for a moment longer. When I finally collect myself enough to reenter the room with Merle's seared skin lying around the four of them are huddled on the floor. Glenn is at the head of the conversion, Rick beside him on the right and Daryl aside of him. T-Dog is on the left by himself leaving the space across from Daryl open for me. I find my place there, staring down at the markings Glenn has drawn with marker on the linoleum. I recognize it as a diagram of the streets surrounding the building.

"We're here now." He points to the black square closest to him. "If we go down the ladder here it'll take us straight out into the alley where I first found Rick. Chloe and Daryl you'll stay in the alley. If all goes as planned I'll circle back and meet you there. I'll run this direction, there's a tank here." Glenn motions to the paper clamp, "and the bag of guns is here." He demonstrates with a balled up yellow sticky note.

"Why us?" Daryl wonders.

"Your knife and crossbow are quieter than Rick's gun."

"So you have us elsewhere?" Rick joins in the conversation.

"Yeah, you and T-Dog are gonna be here." Glenn directs our attention to a second alley.

"That's two blocks away." Rick begins to argue.

"If I get cut off I might not be able to come back the way I came and I'll circle through here. This way either way I go you guys have me covered. When it's all over we meet back here."

"Ok, looks like no one else is gonna say it so I will; I hate this plan. I don't think you need to be out there alone." I chew on the inside of my cheek.

"I ain't even like ya much and I don't think you should go it alone." Daryl adds sliding his hand over the stubble on his chin.

"It's a good plan." Glenn stands his ground before anyone else can say anything. "If we go out there in a group you'll just slow me down. You said we needed a plan where we all live. This is it, you just have to trust me."

"Ok," I bite my tongue.

"Hey kid, what'd you do before all this?" Daryl grumbles picking at the pocket of his torn pants.

"Delivered pizza." Glenn tells him with a shrug. I smirk at him while everyone else sits there in silence with raised eyebrows.

"Ok," Rick says by way of acknowledgement. "Let's do this."

We climb down the ladder on the side of the building, taking cover behind the green dumper as Daryl readies his crossbow. "You got a lot a balls for a chinaman."

"I'm Korean." Glenn shoots back in disgust.

"Whatever." Daryl scoffs.

"You got this Glennie." I give him a slap on the shoulder.

"I got this." He nods pulling open the chain link fence door.

I pull the knife out of my sheath as he takes off into the street.

"Ya can put that away, ain't none of these ugly bastards gon' get close enough for ya to use it." Daryl says keeping watch with his back to me, facing the road.

"Never know." I breathe, peaking over his shoulder. There's not many geeks out there at least not that I can see.

Daryl turns suddenly pointing his bow at something behind my head. I whip around to see what spooked him, it's a boy. Younger than me, seventeen maybe. I didn't even hear him come up behind me.

"Hey, hey, don't shoot me. Don't shoot me!" The boy pleads holding up his hands.

"What the hell are ya doin' sneakin' up on us like that?" Daryl snaps at him as he steps between the boy and I.

"What are you doing out here?" The kids ask.

"Lookin' for my brother he's hurt real bad have you seen him?" Daryl stalks closer to him like a predator.

"No I haven't seen anybody." The boy starts yelling then, something in a language I don't know.

"Shut up you're gonna bring the geeks down on us." Daryl bares his teeth.

"Just let me go." He continues to scream and Daryl knocks him to the ground holding a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up, shut up!" Daryl snarls between gritted teeth.

I see two older, larger, men one of them wielding a steel bat rush down the alley toward us.

"Daryl, Daryl!" I nudge him roughly.

"What?" He jerks his head up just in time for the first man punch him square in the jaw. The second brings the bat down on him and they just take turns hitting him. I mean to move but my limbs won't work. I see Glenn standing at the fence entrance with the gun bag and he freezes too, like a deer in the headlights.

"There it is! Get the bag, get the bag." The bald man with the bat instructs the other and they move to start hitting Glenn. I move then without meaning to, jumping onto the taller man's back pulling him away from Glenn. He stumbles backwards nearly loosing his footing and sending us both to the ground. He staggers around the side of the dumpster. He cries out, from what? I'm not sure but he arches his back and I lose my grip on his neck.


	4. Angel with a Shotgun

(Glenn's POV)

The engine turns over and I begin racking my brain for a way out of this. I'm in a car with no idea where I'm going. Driven by a couple dudes who just beat the crap out of me over a bag of guns. "Just tell us what you want and maybe we can work something out." I try to reason with them. Chloe's head lies heavy in my lap, she still hasn't come to since she hit her head on the dumpster.

"Just shut up." The guy in the white t-shirt, who practically threw her in on top of me, says glaring at me in the rear view mirror.

"My friend, she needs help." I pull the matted hair away from Chloe's face to get a better look at the gash stretching from near the center of her forehead toward her right temple.

"My friend does too thanks to that stupid red neck shootin' him in the ass." The guy in the driver's seat fires back; motioning his head to the man in the passenger seat. The one Chloe was riding like a mechanical bull, he's shifting uncomfortably even after Daryl's arrow was removed. I imagine it still hurts pretty bad.

"We don't want any trouble please just let us go." I start pleading my case again knowing it's useless at this point.

"Not gonna happen, best keep your mouth shut if you want your little girlfriend to live." Another death glare in the mirror.

"Ok." I shrug out of my over shirt, bunching it up and holding it against her forehead to slow the bleeding.

"Head wounds bleed the most. Saw it when I grabbed her, looks superficial." The man in the passenger seat says turning around slightly to get a better look at her.

"Are you a doctor?" I ask.

"Nurse." He shrugs.

"Listen I'm sorry you got shot in the ass but if you just give us a chance to talk to our people-"

"Sorry about your friend." The man in gray cuts me off. "You better hope they're willin' to trade that bag of guns for ya. Otherwise this could get ugly."

"They have one of your men, you have us they'll be willing to trade. They're not bad people." I clear my throat when I hear my own voice become shaky and unsure.

"Neither are we. But we need those guns man."

"Felipe stop talkin' to him. We gotta let Guillermo see what he wants to do about this first."

"Who's Guillermo?" I wonder. No response. I take a deep breath considering my options. There's a very real possibility that Chloe doesn't wake up for a while. In that case I'm gonna be up against at least three armed men by the sounds of it, probably more. I can't leave her behind but I have no idea what to do with unconscious Chloe in a hostage situation. We pull up outside of a brick building the windows are boarded up and there's armed guards at the only open entrance.

"Let's go! Get the girl!" The driver calls to the guy, Felipe, on the opposite side of the car. He swings open the right back door and begins tugging Chloe out by her ankles.

"I've got her." I protest making my way out the door and hoisting her up bridal style.

"She dead?" Another guy about my age steps out of the shadows. He points his pistol toward her head.

"No, she's fine." I say as the man who was driving, steers me forward with his bat at my back.

"She bit?" The guy, Guillermo maybe, turns toward his henchmen.

"No. She was on my back when some crazy prick shot me in the ass. I dropped her. Hit her head. She needs stitches." Felipe tells him.

The leader nods wetting his lips. "Give 'er here."

"No, she stays with me." I square my shoulders as best I can with her weight in my arms.

"Give her to me now. Or I will kill you both." He yanks her out of my arms. "Make sure he ain't got no weapons and then bring 'em up. I'm gonna get her ready for ya." Get her ready?

"Keep your hands off her!" I'm shoved face first into the red brick wall. The first man from the car patting me down none too gently.

"Just relax I done this plenty of times." Felipe smiles and my stomach churns.

"I'm sure you have you sick fuck. Raping girls who can't defend themselves isn't something to be proud of." I spit at him as he pulls me off the wall.

"You are as stupid as look." He laughs. "Come on." He pushes me through the door the first asshole brought Chloe through and then through a set of double doors.

"This was a hospital?" I look around taking in all the people sitting in what looks like a cafeteria turned recreation room.

"Old folks home." He corrects me.

"You worked here?"

"Yeah." He slips past me to the left side of the room. A blue and white striped curtain separates the tiny room behind it from the elderly people.

"What is this place?"

"Exactly what it looks like. Guillermo and I are the only ones who stayed. We try to care for these people as best we can but without those guns we're sittin' ducks. Sometimes people come to visit and when they see what we're doin' for their grandparents and parents they stick around. Which is good because we need the man power." He finally pulls back the curtain. Revealing a cot at the center, Chloe's head resting comfortably against the dingy pillows as the guy, Guillermo, wipes the blood away from her wound. Behind him on a tiny wooden table is a needle, thread, some medical tape and gauze.

"What do ya think?" Guillermo asks Felipe.

"She just needs to be patched up." He sets to work rolling up his sleeves. As he walks around to the opposite side I realize that he hasn't tended to his own wound yet.

"Our people are gonna come looking for us packing some serious heat. If you guys just talk to them I'm sure Rick would give you some of the guns at least." I don't know these people not really but they aren't bad people they've proved that. I don't want them to die.

"It's all or nothin'." Guillermo blows me off.

"You're gonna get yourselves killed." I sigh in frustration. Felipe pushes the needle through the skin at the top of her wound and then the bottom effective stitching them together with practiced fingers.

"Maybe," Guillermo shrugs moving to stand on my left giving Felipe space on the other side of the table, "they don't wanna make the trade we'll just keep you both here. You can make yourselves useful."

"They have Miguel. We can't just leave him, he's blood."

Guillermo mulls this over for a moment as Felipe finished up the stitches on Chloe's head. "She'll be wakin' up soon, I'll go get her some water." He leaves the room without another word. Felipe places a piece of folded gauze on her forehead holding it down with a strip of tape.

"She's real pretty, she your girlfriend or somethin'?" He wonders staring down at her.

"No, just a friend." I smile smoothing down her hair.

"You gay or somethin'."

"I like girls, just not Chloe. Like I said she's my friend, my best friend."

"She got a boyfriend?"

"You're really invested in this." I laugh shaking my head.

"I ain't seen a girl in a long time, 'specailly not one that looks like this. I just wanna know if it's possible."

"It's complicated." I lean back against the far wall. If Chloe ever gets wind that I was giving out information about her and Daryl's not so discrete and oh so disgusting rendezvous she'll kill me with her bare hands.

"We got visitors!" Someone yells. Saved by the bell.

"You, come with me." Guillermo rips back the curtain; grabbing me roughly by the shoulder. Forcing a dirty rag into my mouth as someone pulls a bag over my head. Tying my hands behind my back.

(Daryl's POV)

"You ok little man?" Says the bastard who comes out from behind the rusted metal door. T-Dog is up on top a the buildin' beside us ready to gun every one of these assholes down if things go south. Rick the dick and me are the only one's in this guy, Guillermo's, view.

"This crazy puto says he's gonna cut my feet off." The little punk, we picked up in the alley, snivels like the piece of shit he is.

"Cops do that?" Guillermo cocks his head to the side.

"Not him, the crazy red neck. He cut off some dudes hand, showed it to me."

"Shut up," I growl pointin' my bow at him.

Then the prick that bashed Chloe's head comes out to play, "there he is." He points his pistol at me. "That's the crazy fucker that shot me in the ass."

"Hey, chill. Chill." Guillermo slowly gets the guy to lower his gun. "So is it true?" He looks ta Rick. "He wants Miguel's feet? That's pretty sick man."

"Actually we were hoping more for a calm discussion." Rick says.

"The hillbilly shoots Felipe in the ass, steals our bag a guns and threatens to cut off his little cousin's feet and you want a calm discussion? You fascinate me."

"Heat of the moment. Mistakes were made on both sides." Rick's wastin' his time tryin' to reason with these sons a bitches, we should be goin' in there and takin' what's ours instead a pussy footin' aroun' tryna make friends.

"Who's this guy to you anyway you don't look related." Guillermo waves his hand at me.

"He's one of our group more or less I'm sure you have a few like him."

"You got my brother in there?" I demand. 'Nough fuckin' around, it's time for answers.

"No I'm fresh outta white boys, but I do got a white girl and an Asian. You interested?"

"We have yours, you have ours, sounds like a fair trade to me. Nobody has to get hurt here."

"Doesn't seem fair to me. One of my men for one of yours, that's fair. If you want the girl too it's gonna cost ya." I aim my crossbow at him, ready to end this little bastard and his little bastard friends right now.

"What do you want?" Rick asks, I wanna turn my bow on him, who put this fucker in charge anyway?

"You're gonna come back here in an hour with my man and my bag of guns and then we'll talk."

"You're mistakin'."

"I don't think so." Guillermo licks his lips.

"About the guns bein' yours. I dropped that bag here about a week ago. We just got around to comin' back for it." Rick 'xplains.

"You have an hour. We don't have many girls come through here, she'd be a welcome addition to our group."

"You don't touch her ya sorry son of a bitch!" Rick places restraining hand on my shoulder. I shake him off continuing toward the entrance. "I will come back 'ere locked an' loaded an' make ya wish you were never born if ya put your hands on her!"

"You talk a big game. But what I see is all bark and no bite." Guillermo nods his head toward the roof. Two of these other thugs are danglin' Glenn from the roof of the building.

"Daryl, this is not how we do this. I swear to you I'm gonna get Chloe and Glenn outta there. Let's get back to the store an' talk about this." Rick moves to block me from puttin' an arrow in these guy's heads.

"Ain't nothin to talk about! I'm gon ta get er." Is he deaf, dumb, or just stupid? It don't matter 'cause I ain't taking orders from no one.

"If you go in there now, like this, that is for yourself. Not for Chloe."

"That's my girl in there." I say 'fore I can stop myself.

"I know, if you wanna get her back we need a plan."

"I gotta plan." I grumble under my breath, guttin' each and everyone a these dumb fucks seems like a plan ta me.

"A better plan." He clarifies.

"You better be right." I scoff at him, ta hell with this prick. I turn back the way we came dragging the little Mexican kid with me.

(Chloe's POV)

"Well good morning sunshine." Someone says from above me.

"Five more minutes mom," I groan out trying to be in good spirits despite the pounding in my head.

"No can do, it's time to rise and shine. You've been out for almost two hours." It's Glenn speaking I realize peeling my eyelids open to find him in the dimly lit room.

"Where the hell are we?" I ask trying to sit up, this isn't camp or the department store.

He holds his hand out for me and I take it swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "Those guys that jumped me and Daryl for the guns, they took us. We're in some kind of old folks home."

"Is Daryl ok? The rest of them?" I press my fingers to my temple attempting to get some relief from the drum beating inside my skull.

"Don't," Glenn grabs my wrist, "you've got stitches. Split your head open on the dumpster when you fell off Felipe."

"Felipe? What the hell are you guys chummy now?"

"Not at all," he laughs, "however he is very interested in getting to know you."

"Uck," I gag.

"Look don't shoot the messenger I told him you're not interested."

"Good looking out." I roll my eyes. "Do you mind tell me what the hell is really going on here?"

"They're taking care of a bunch of old people, they needed the bag of guns. They panicked when shit went down and they grabbed us for leverage."

"Well are they gonna let us go before they get killed? Daryl will kill them, Rick won't be able to stop him." I finally manage to get on my feet.

"They're trying to make some kind of trade for us. You're right about Daryl going primal though, Rick barely stopped him in the courtyard."

"They were here?"

"Outside, they dangled me over the edge of the roof."

"Just you?"

"Yeah I...carried you in, made sure nobody touched you all that fun stuff." He shrugs.

"Thank you Glennie." I sigh.

"You'd do it for me so..."

"Hell yeah I would," I smile at him.

"OH NO!" I hear someone yell from behind the striped curtain.

"What the hell is that?" I demand, moving to draw my knife but of course it's gone.

"No idea." Glenn whips open the curtain to reveal all the elderly people huddled around in the center of the room.

"Oh, come, come. Can you help him?" An old man with white hair calls out to Glenn and I.

"What's wrong with him?" I make my way across the room, Glenn just a step behind me to the left.

"He needs his medicine. He has asthma and he can't get his breath all the sudden." The man explains.

"I'm so sorry, I don't...I don't know how to help." I stammer taking a step away from his pleading stare. "Glenn do you know how to-"

"No," he shakes his head averting his gaze to the floor.

My mouth goes dry, this man is about to die right in front of me and there's nothing I can do. Someone grabs me roughly by the shoulder spinning me around to face them.

"Are ya hurt?" Daryl practically growls at me, his eyes dark, nostrils flaring.

"Not really. I mean they gave me a couple stitches." I shrug uncomfortable under his probing eyes.

"That all they did ta ya?" He demands.

"Yes." I say quietly.

"Are ya sure? If they put their hands on you I will put them down."

"Nobody did anything else." I reach out for him but he bats my hand away.

"Ya coulda got yourself killed! What the hell were ya tryin' ta prove back there?" He shouts at me like I'm petulant child.

"I was trying to help you! Help Glenn, save the guns." Now I'm pissed too.

"You're a real piece a work ya know that?" He snarls grabbing my face between his hands and pressing his lips to mine in a chaste kiss. "Ya don't ever do that again. Ya don't ever risk your life for me. Not for anythin' or anybody!"

When he pulls back I stare at him open mouthed for a moment; he yells at me, then he kisses me, and then yells at me again. "You can't be angry at me for taking a stand I'm not here just to sit around and look pretty. I'm here to fight so that's exactly what I did. Exactly what I'm going to do and you can't ask me to just-"

"Ya shouldn't even be here. I didn't need ya, caused more trouble than good."

"I wanna help you." I reply simply, "you get mad when I get hurt because you care about me. Then you get mad at me for making you care. You either gotta let go of the chip on your shoulder or you gotta let go of me. You can't have both."

"I ain't doing this here." Daryl's top lip twitches slightly, I've struck a nerve.

"Then when?" I breathe, getting so close to his face that our noses nearly touch.

"Screw off Peletier. Ain't no uppity bitch is gonna run me. I ain't your husband, I ain't you're boyfriend, and this ain't a damn romance novel. I'll keep the chip on my shoulder, 'least it don't make me chase it 'round actin' like a fuckin' damsel in distress." He storms out of the room.

"Chloe," Rick says coming to a stop beside me on the right. "I can go talk to him." As a peace offering he holds out my knife I lost in the alley.

"You haven't even known him two full days. What makes you think you're qualified to talk to him?" I snatch it from him, returning it to the waiting holster on my hip.

"The way he acted while you were bein' held here... I may not know him as well as you but I know a thing or two." He runs a hand over the slight stubble on his chin.

We finally make our way back to the train tracks; Daryl and Rick taking shots at each other the whole way. Glenn and I are in front of them, away from the bullshit namely Daryl's. T-Dog is behind Rick keeping watch behind us.

"Holy shit." Glenn breathes breaking into a sprint as we round the corner of the over pass. We're standing on the gravel where the box truck should be.

"This is the spot right?" I pant out a second later.

"Yeah." Glenn pulls off his red and white cap to scratch the back of his head.

The sinking feeling in my stomach sends me crouching down with my head between my knees. The throbbing near my temple suddenly becoming unbearable and I think I might faint.

"Here take a drink." Glenn kneels beside me, pulling out the water bottle from his back pack.

"Thanks." I grab it from him, taking a swig.

"What's goin' on up there?" Rick calls out.

"Somebody took the truck!" Glenn sighs as they get closer; coming to stand beside us on the side of the tracks.

"Who would do that?" T-Dog wonders, I hear him pacing behind me; right then left and back again.

"Merle," Daryl offers, "he's gonna be takin' one hell of a grudge back ta camp."

I pull myself back upright.

"We need to get back soon." Rick says. "You good to go Chloe?" He pats me on the shoulder.

"Ya need ta be carried princess?" Daryl sneers catching me behind the knees and sweeping my feet out from under me so I'm bridal style in his arms.

"Fuck you Daryl." I shove at his chest but he tightens his grip on me. "Let me go you fucking asshole. If you don't wanna be anything to me but the guy I used to screw around  
with that's fine. But you're sure as shit gonna respect me. You got that?" We stare each other down for a moment, I feel the angry tears prickling behind my eyes but I blink them way as he places me back on my feet. He says nothing, jaw clenched tightly. "I'm so glad we had this talk." I spit at him.

Glenn is a few feet ahead, stopped in his tracks, turned to look at me. "Come on Chlo." He waves me over, l run to him as fast as my legs will carry me. Leaving this day, the city, and Daryl Dixon behind me.

(Carol's POV)

It's quiet tonight. Ed is alone in his tent still sulking about getting what was coming to him. I only wish I could have done it myself, for putting his hands on me, on my girls. But I was always too scared, 'you can't be scared anymore mama. You have to be brave when I'm not around or you'll die. You have to be brave or Sophia will die.' That's the last thing Chloe said to me before she left. She was right, I see that now. We sit around the fire eating the fried fish, Sophia on my left, Lori, Carl and Shane to the right. Andrea and Amy are beside Dale on the opposite side of the fire. It's night time now, they should have been back, it's no more than an hour drive into the city. I put my arm around Sophia keeping her close.

"Hey where are you going?" Andrea asks Amy who's now standing between her sister and Dale.

"I have to pee." Amy replies in exasperation. "Why can't I ever be discreet around here?" We all laugh as she disappears into the RV.

"We should save some fish for Chloe and my dad." Carl says putting some of what's in the pan onto a separate plate.

"Chloe hates fish." Sophia informs him.

"No offense baby but none of us are in any position to be picky about food." Lori reminds her with a wink.

"I guess you're right. She's probably really hungry." Sophia begins picking at her plate of food again.

"We're out of toilet paper!" Amy calls from the RV. Dale sets his plate aside of where he was sitting. She screams then; a blood curdling scream that sends us all jumping up. I turn toward her just in time to see the walker tearing away the skin of her left forearm with it's teeth.

"Mommy!" Sophia cries out. I sweep her up, holding her against me. There's more than one, more than two, a whole group of them; more than I've ever seen. I search the ground for anything I can use as a weapon but they're coming too fast. We get separated from Shane with the gun and one of them is headed straight for us. Without a second thought I reach down, gripping the handle of the cast iron pan we'd just used to cook the fish. 'You have to be brave or Sophia will die.' I run toward Shane's voice swinging the metal at the walker. But before I make it that far I trip over one of the fire logs and the is walker right there; chomping it's rotting teeth at us. "Mommy!" Sophia screams again and I hit the corpse as hard as I can on the side of it's head. I don't stop until it's skull is crushed on the ground at my feet. My heart pounds painfully against my ribs, my ears ringing. Dropping the pan I grab Sophia in my arms once more rushing up toward the RV where what's left of us are standing. The walkers just keep coming! There's no way we can take them all down.

"Shane what do we do?" Lori shouts tugging at the back of his shirt.

Shots are fired from behind the walkers, the guns keep going off; mowing through the dead until I can finally make out who's firing. Rick on the far left and T-Dog on the opposite side. Glenn beside him, Chloe in the center and Daryl on her right side. Her sandy blonde hair flying wild and bloody in her face. Brown eyes wide and focused her mouth set in a permanent frown. An angel with a shot gun, here to save us all.


	5. Her name was Amy

(Chloe's POV)

It's was a hard night on everyone, Mom and Sophia cried all night. I get it, Ed was a piece of shit but he was my Dad, my Mom's husband of twenty-three years. Still I haven't been able to bring myself to shed a single tear for him. I did cry...cried for Amy. Cried for Andrea because she lost Amy, I can't begin to imagine what that feels like. Once I'm alone in the tent I pull off my blood stained shirt and pants. I should have changed last night right after it all happened. I'm not sure why I didn't, maybe I was in shock, or maybe I was just tired. I pull the elastic from the end of my hair, releasing it from the matted braid from the day before. I untangle it as gently as possible between my fingers then turn to pull a fresh change of clothes from the pile. Finding myself face to face with Daryl Dixon. I gasp loudly jumping at least a foot in the air.

"Sorry," he chuckles, putting his hands on my waist to steady me. His rough fingers spreading deliciously over the skin of my hips.

"Were you watching me get undressed?" I stammer.

"Pfft, I ain't have no idea you were in here gettin' down to your birthday suit. I came ta get somethin'. This is my tent 'member?"

"Right," I shake my head to clear it. His hands slide up my spine, unclasping my bra, dragging it down my arms and shoulders to the floor. "What are you doing?"

"Helpin' ya." He says nonchalantly moving lower to hook his thumbs under the top of my panties.

"We need to talk about last night." I blurt out, this can't happen. Not now, maybe not ever again.

"Ed was a sorry prick, I'm glad he's dead. You should be too. It's too bad about your friend Amy though, she was a nice girl."

"I meant about us." I sigh.

"M'kay, what's there ta talk about?" I know he's still pissed at me even if he's acting like it's water under the bridge.

"What we did last night was..." Different, scary, incredible, perfect. There's a hundred different words that come to mind but none of them really seem right to describe what transpired between Daryl and I last night when we attempted our usual romp in the hay. "Why did you do that to me?" I feel myself on the verge of tears again and his expression hardens.

"If ya didn't like it ya shoulda said somethin', 'steada just leavin'." He's defensive now, I've offended him.

"You know how I feel about you."

"I know ya like ta fuck me an' then run away when things get too real. 'Course ya don't wan' anything else, why would ya? Ya had me thinkin' there for a secon'...that ya cared. Do me a favor next time an' don't treat me like I mean somethin' if I ain't nothin' but the guy who gets you off." Daryl spits at me and I cringe.

"You do mean something!" I shoot back, taking a step away from him, suddenly very aware of my nakedness.

"Then 'splain ta me what the hell happened 'cause I must be too damn stupid ta understand." His eyes are smoldering, I wanna kiss him so bad. Take back this whole thing and pretend it never happened, go back to the way things used to be. It's too late now, this is the part where I lose him for wanting too much.

"You're not stupid! I was...I left because," I take a deep breath. If I say it out loud, what we're doing is over. If I don't say it it's over anyway. "I love you and I know you don't-"

"Ya don't know shit! You're not just gonna stand there and tell me I ain't in love with ya."

"Are you?" I feel all the blood drain out of my face.

He just stands there, the muscles in his jaw twitching.

"Do you love me or not?!" I demand.

"YES! Jesus Christ girl what else do ya wan' from me?" He leaves without another word, I sink down onto my sleeping bag.

(Daryl's POV)

She loves me. She left me 'cause she loves me. Here I was thinkin' I was fucked up. She don't act like she loves me, always yellin' at me an' shit. Or maybe she yells at me because she loves me, ain't that why I yelled at her yesterday? "Can I fuckin' help ya?" I growl at the group a pricks huddled 'round the tent.

"Everythin' alright in there?" Rick asks crossin' his arms over his chest.

"Ta hell with all y'all. Ain't none a your damn business." I scoff, this ain't a fuckin' soap opera for them ta stand aroun' gossiping 'bout. This is my god damn life.

"Is she coming out?" Glenn asks an' I wanna ring his neck for even askin'.

"I ain't her keeper, you wanna know so bad ya go in there an' ask her yourself." I'm still standin' in front a the tent entrance when I hear the zipper pullin' open. Even if I'm  
pissed at her, I ain't gon' let these sons a bitches ask her a bunch a questions she don't gotta answer.

"Good morning." Chloe says emergin' from the tent.

"Mornin'," Shane greets her first.

"Why are we all standing around? We have to get these bodies out of here." Chloe speaks a secon' time, her hand on my lower back nudgin' me slightly but I don't move, "excuse me." She steps aroun' me.

"Are you hungry? I saved you some spam." Glenn motions ta the plate near where the fire had been.

"No, I'm good." Chloe smiles at him.

"Ok, we got a few things ta talk about. Everybody listen up!" Rick changes the subject quickly. The remainin' adult members a our group are standin' 'round in a circle. All accept for Andrea, who's still huddled over Amy's body. "We got a lot a bodies that need to be disposed of, both walkers and our people. We need all hands on deck. Glenn, you're in charge a burnin' the walkers. Carol, Lori, Jackie, you three continue business as usual. We still gotta eat, the kids still need tendin' to and we'll need plenty a clean clothes for the move. Shane and I are gonna be start movin' our people up towards the graves Jim was diggin' yesterday. Chloe, Daryl, ya know what ta do ta make sure nobody turns. Dale, you keep workin' on the RV, get it ready ta move." Rick directs us all like we're his puppets or somethin'.

"Ok, what about Jim? What's he doing?" Chloe asks bitin' on her thumb nail.

"Jim...he's bit baby, he's sick." Jackie tell her from 'cross the way.

"I'm sorry." Chloe offers with a tiny nod a acknowledgment.

"We all are but we gotta figure out what we're gonna do 'bout this." Shane says. "Now we got Jim who's sick and Amy who's gonna turn at anytime now. They're tickin' time bombs."

"I say we out a ax in Jim's head and the dead girl's and be done with it. We don't needa bury nobody neither, just burn 'em all they're all tha same now." I shurg, it ain't a pretty way ta go but this ain't a pretty world neither.

"Amy. Her name is Amy and was my friend. She was a person, Jim is a person. We can't just kill people who are still alive! Just because somebody got bit by a walker doesn't mean that they're any less of a person. They deserve a proper burial." Chloe protests turnin' to look at me in disgust.

"By that logic we needa bury all the geeks too, they were somethin' ta somebody." She ain't being rational, these people are dead. "Dead is dead, don't matter who they were."

"You're unbelievable." Chloe scoffs, "these are people we lived with, people we cared about."

"I ain't care 'bout none of them people, know what I care 'bout? You an' you livin'!"

"As much as I'd love to sit back and watch this lover's quarrel unfold we have a real problem on our hands and we need ta focus on that." Shane butts in.

"This isn't about me and Daryl, this isn't about me and any one of you, this is about us as a group; who we are, who we're gonna be. Do you wanna be the kind of people who kill a sick person? The kind of people who don't even have the decency to bury their friends?"

"We bury our dead, we don't burn them." Glenn backs Chloe, tha way he does even when he thinks she's wrong. But I can see in his eyes, he thinks this is tha right call.

"If we start down this path where do we draw the line?" Rick asks lookin' between us all. "We have a sick man, if we can get him help that's what we should do. The center for disease control is only a day or two's drive from here. If there's any type of government at all they would keep it up and runnin'."

"I know what you're thinkin'. Food, shelter, answers, I know you want those things, I want 'em too. But if those things exist they're gonna be at the army base. Fort Benny." Shane tells us.

"That's a hundred miles in the opposite direction." Lori interjects.

"The military was the first thing to fall, we saw that. The CDC is our best option and Jim's only chance." Rick throws his hands up in defeat.

"Let's just take care a what we gotta do here first. We can talk when it's over, everybody will have time ta make up their minds by then." Shane grabs the shovel from the ground heading out ta the clearing on the far edge a camp.

"Are you ok to do this baby?" Carol asks puttin' a hand on Chloe's shoulder.

"Yeah," she nods, "I'm fine." Without another word she turns away, settin' off toward the pick ax. Takin' it 'fore I can.

"I was gonna use that." I call after her.

"Not anymore." She replies, "quit standing there playing with yourself! We have work to do."

"Pfft," I scoff, makin' my way toward her and the bodies. Pickin' up the rusty crowbar on the groun'. "We ain't always gon' 'gree 'bout everythin'."

"We don't have to agree, we just have to respect each other. I'm not trying to undermine you at every turn but this is important. I know you don't think so but it is."

"So ya don't wanna take it back?" I kick the rocks at my feet, I feel stupid. Like a grade school kid, I'm sure people my age ain't supposed ta act this way; feel this way.

"Take what back?" Her eyebrows pull tagether in confusion.

"What you said in the tent."

"No," she shakes her head. "I should have just told you last night. I was a dick to just leave like that. I'm not perfect but I'd never hurt you on purpose."

"It happens." I mutter under my breath.

"Life is gonna keep happening. That doesn't change just because we found something good in all this bullshit. We're gonna fight just like we always have, but that's ok."

"Mhm." I nudge her with my elbow an' she smiles, I do too. It's feels weird, different, good different. "You're still a lil punk for takin' my ax."

"Whatever," she lifts it back over her shoulder 'fore drivin' it down into tha guy's head. He's one of ours, I couldn't tell ya his name ta save my life. I ain't never really got ta know many a these people. I was either dickin' 'round with Merle, huntin', or screwin' Chloe. Everybody else done pissed me off by lookin' at me tha wrong way. We pick through 'em, geeks and ours 'til there's only two left. Ed Peletier was finally 'bout ta get tha head bashin' he deserves.

"I'll do it." Chloe says softly, takin' a step toward his body.

"You don't gotta." I shake my head at her. Truth is I wan' this more than I've wanted anythin' in a long time. Maybe if Ed wasn't how he was Chloe wouldn't be the kind of person who runs. Maybe she wouldn't be 'fraid a lovin' someone 'sides Sophia an' her Mom.

"He was my dad, it should be me." Sounds more like a question than a answer.

"I'll do it." Carol says from near the RV an' we both whip our heads aroun'.

"You don't wanna see this Mom." Carol ignores her, comin' ta join us over Ed's body.

"Chloe...let me." She reaches for the pick ax and Chloe lets go reluctantly. "I know I wasn't always what you needed me to be. You had to be strong a lot when you shouldn't have had to. You do so much, let me be here for you now, it's time."

"Are you sure? I can do it."

"I know you can," she cups her cheek lovinly, "but it's my turn. Let me be your mom. Let me take care of you."

"Thank you." Chloe takes a step back, she don't touch me an' I don't touch her. We both just watch as Carol swings the ax high, landin' her mark once, twice, three times, four like she ain't never gon' stop. But she does, takin' a last look at Chloe 'fore droppin' the pick ax. Chloe rushes toward her, throwin' her pale arms aroun' Carol's neck with a sob. They cry tagether for a while. My Ma an' Dad ain't never really spen' time tagether 'fore she died. Maybe she hated him for beatin' up on Merle. I hated him for it, maybe she hated him for other things and he wasn't fond a her neither. My Ma loved me as best she could, just like Carol loves her girls. Not enough ta leave her husband, maybe they thought that's just how it was 'posed ta be. Ed beat up on Carol for as long as Chloe can 'member, 'course she got spooked by the idea a us being tagether. Scares the shit outta me an' I ain't seen either a my folks in years, had a little time ta heal from it. She just got out a it, maybe it's gon' take time. We got time ta figure it out, we gotta. 'Cause I love her an' she loves me an' that's everythin'.

(Sophia's POV)

I've never been to a funeral before. My great uncle died when I was a baby, Chloe told me I cried the whole time. I was probably just hungry or something, babies don't understand stuff like that. But I'm not a baby anymore, I get it now. Watching Andrea sliding Amy's body into the dirt, not letting anyone help her. Chloe is beside me, watching with a straight face, she's not crying even though Amy was her friend. Mom is crying on my other side, just like me. There's gotta be something in between being like Chloe and being like Momma, a happy medium where you can still cry and be strong enough to get the job done. That's how I wanna be when I grow up, if I grow up. Nobody here likes to say it but I think they know me and Carl might never be grown ups, they have to know, I know it. I think Carl does too. We pay our respects to the dead, those of us who believe in God stay behind to pray for them. Glenn is the one who stays with Chloe, not Daryl who is kinda like her boyfriend. Why doesn't he stay? Why doesn't she care? Grown ups are weird.

"Do you think you can keep an eye on Carl? Lori and I have some things ta talk about." Rick says to my Mom and Chloe as we're about to leave.

"I wanna stay." Carl argues, he's gotta know by now that arguing is pointless.

"Carl, come on." I wave him over before he gets in trouble.

"What do you think they're talking about that they don't want me to hear?" He asks when he finally catches up to the group of us.

"Just stuff, stupid adult stuff that would bore you to death." Chloe sighs turning back to look at us, she's walking beside Glenn. They're in front, then me and Carl, with mom behind us.

"Like what?" He wonders

"I don't know," Chloe grins at him, "I'm not a grown up."

"Yeah you are." He laughs.

"Oh yeah," she challenges, "would a grown up do this?" She sucks in a deep breath before letting out a loud long burp.

"I think you got some on me." Glenn brushes himself off, moving away from her.

"Eww! Girls can't burp like that." Carl snorts.

"Girls can do anything boys can do." I tell him, because it's true. Girls can even do stuff that boys can't, like have babies.

"That's exactly right." Mom chimes in. I like that she talks more, she's not scared to now that Dad's gone. Is it terrible for me to think that way?

"I guess that's true," Carl shrugs.

Chloe and Glenn find their way back together and she whispers something to him. "You guys wanna do something fun?" Glenn smiles at whatever Chloe has planned.

"What?" I wonder.

"Ever played jacks Carl? I just happened to grab some last time I was on a run and I'm willing to bet that Sophia and I could kick your butt. Boys verses girls." Chloe taunts.

"I know how to play jacks." Carl replies crossing his arms. "Glenn better not let you guys win."

"I would never," Glenn gasps like Carl insulted him, "we're gonna school these girls."

"Yeah," They high five, Chloe and Carl switch places so that she's standing next to me now with Carl and Glenn in front of us.

"Don't look so worried, we've got this." Chloe brushes my hair behind my ear.

"I'm not worried about the game, I'm just worried."

Her mouth opens and closes twice, she doesn't know what to say. "I'm going to get the jacks." She breaks into a sprint back toward the tents. I'm twelve, not stupid; my Dad wasn't right about much but he was right about that.


	6. Trust me

**(A/N Hey guys! So I had to split the getting to the CDC and all the CDC business into three separate chapters because it was just way too much stuff to cram into one. But that being said, there's only two more chapters after this before season 2 which is where the story really picks up and strays from the canon story line just enough to make it new and exciting. Also I hope you don't mind Sophia is a little different than in the show, I really wanted her to be her own person and question the world around her. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter; as always please ignore my typos, review, favorite, and follow! Thanks!)**

(Chloe's POV)

The ride to the CDC is quiet just me and Daryl in the red pick up truck with his bike in the back. Mom and Sophia are riding with Lori, Carl and Rick. Directly in front of us in the caravan, I feel marginally better knowing that we have the radios and they're within visual distance. Still I worry, we haven't eaten yet, we're all tired, hungry. Rick doesn't want to stop until we get there which I understand. Because it's safer and because of Jim...every second counts. Daryl begins to veer slightly to the left before getting the vehicle back on the right track. "Daryl."

"I'm good." He drawls, blinking a couple times.

"You need to sleep, I can drive." I say softly, putting a hand on his leg.

"Said I'm fine." He grumbles, placing my hand back on the leather seat between us.

I sigh, turning my attention back out the window. "Just run us off the road then, see if I care."

He hits the brakes hard, my head nearly hitting the dashboard, "ya wanna drive so fuckin' bad come on then." He swings his door open, stalking around to my side; pulling open my door with the same force. I know he's tired, I know he's irritated, it's not personal but it feels that way. I'm exhausted too, haven't slept the whole time he's been driving. I can't. I might never sleep again. I climb into the driver's seat putting on my seat belt because that's the normal thing to do. I need normal. Waiting until Daryl is situated on the opposite side before shifting the truck into drive. He leans his head against the window, crossing his arms over his chest. I wish Amy was here. I mean I know she'd probably be in the RV with Andrea but she'd be there, just a few cars ahead. She'd get to see the CDC, she'd get to-

"Don't do that baby," I hear Daryl mutter, moving to put his hand on my knee.

"Do what?" My voice is shaky; am I crying?

He brushes his knuckles over my cheek, they come away wet. "'M sorry, just tired, didn't mean ta yell at ya."

"No that's not why I'm...I'm sorry." I stammer, trying to quiet my sobbing which is now embarrassingly loud.

"Ain't got nothin' ta be sorry for." He lies his head in my lap, his arms twining around my right thigh as best he can without impairing my ability to drive. He kisses my leg through the fabric of my jeans. "Wake me up when you're ready ta switch back." He yawns, nuzzling against me. I pass my hand over his hair once before returning it to the steering wheel.

"I will." I whisper, and it's quiet for a while. It helps, the weight of him, someone holding onto me. I run my hand over my face, batting at the tears, no more crying.

* * *

"We're slowin' down, everybody be ready ta stop." T-Dog voice booms over the radio. It startles me for a second, this is the first thing to break through the silence in the truck since Daryl fell asleep last night.

"What's going on up there T-Dog?" I ask, grabbing the tiny receiver that's lying on the dashboard.

"Don't want anyone to panic, we're just stoppin'." He replies a beat later.

"Copy that," Rick's voice comes over the speaker now.

"Ya let me sleep all night?" Daryl grumbles, untangling himself from me and moving into a sitting position.

"Mhm, you needed it." I smile, spotting the tiny wet patch on my pant leg from where he'd been drooling.

"Sorry." He shrugs following my gaze to my jeans, "Aren't ya gettin' tired?"

"A little." I nod. "We can switch back once we stop. It's my turn to sleep on you."

"Hmm, I prolly ain't comfortable." He focuses his blue eyes on the road.

"I'll be the judge of that." I bring the truck to a stop behind Mom's Cherokee. Nothing looks wrong from back here. No geeks in the road, nobody's bloody. I hop out onto the pavement, Daryl is already trotting up to meet the rest of the group on the side of the RV.

"Hey Chloe." Sophia greets me, when I close the distance between us.

"Yeah, hey," I grin, smoothing down her hair. Something's different about her, she's changed. Yesterday; the way she said she was worried, she seemed so sure that something bad would happen to her.

"Did you guys have a good drive? Are you playing games and stuff too?" Carl comes to stand next to her.

"It's been very quiet," I tell him. "We didn't have a chance to play any games because Daryl's been sleeping. Then when we get back on the road I'll be sleeping."

"Sounds boring." He laughs. He's the same kid I met over a month ago. He still has the childlike wonder, the hope, the innocence. So how'd Sophia lose hers? What did she see, what did she hear, what happened to her?

"You feeling ok sweetie? You're looking kind of pale?" Mom presses the back of her hand to my forehead, checking for a fever.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about all the games I've been missing out on." I lie.

"Oh yeah, you missed war, solitaire, and a very intense game of go fish." She informs me.

"Man, that sucks." I say quietly.

"You can ride with us if you want." Sophia kicks at the dirt, "we'll make room."

"I gotta get some sleep baby," I shake my head at her.

"It's ok." She replies, "There'll be time for games at the CDC."

"Once we're safe," I agree, "we will be safe there. You know that right?"

"It's a nice thought Chloe, but no where is safe; not anymore." Sophia mutters.

"I'm gonna go see what's going on up there." I move past Sophia. For the second time in two days I have no idea what to say to her. As I move toward the RV I see Andrea headed straight for me. She keeps her gaze cast downward, she hasn't so much as looked at me since Amy died. Wouldn't even let me stand near her grave once she was buried. "Andrea, how are you-"

"Just shut up and stay the hell away from me." She spits in disgust.

"What's your problem?" I step directly into her path, forcing her to answer me.

"You really think I'm the one with a problem?" She throws her arms up. "You're the one that took our group members out on a wild goose chase looking for Merle Dixon who you couldn't even find. You say Amy was your friend. Well she's dead now, because of you! You should have been there!"

"That's bullshit Andrea! You're right I wasn't there, but you were. You were the one who was supposed to protect her. She wasn't my little sister, she was yours. So don't point the finger at me." How can she honestly blame this on me? Like I wanted Amy to die, like I wanted any of our people to die, or Jim to get bit. "If you assholes hadn't left Merle up there in the first place maybe we wouldn't be having this conversation. I don't know what would have happened. What I do know is that we risked our lives to get those guns so that we all could be safe."

"You are a child Chloe! A child trying to fill adult shoes waving a gun around and acting like you know what you're doing when you don't. You wanna be an adult and make decisions you have to take responsibility!"

"Do not lay hands!" Rick yells from a few feet away, aside of Daryl and the rest of the group beside the RV.

I wasn't going to hit her. What's he talking about? Oh. I realize a second too late, she swung on me. I feel the warm sticky liquid running down my face, I lift my hand to my forehead and sure enough I'm bleeding. "Were you going for the stitches or is your aim really that bad?"

"Maybe I'm just trying really hard not to kill you, I'll settle for making you bleed."

"Andrea, what are you doing?" Dale rushes over to us, "This isn't what Amy would want."

Daryl is by my side in the blink of an eye, shoving me behind him. "Ya'll listen up, we're gon' get somethin' straight right now! Next person ta put their hands on that girl is gon' get an arrow in the brain."

"Daryl, you can't threaten them. We're all scared, tired... grieving, we can't be at each others throats right now." I place my hand on his tense shoulder, feeling him relax marginally.

"I don't give a damn 'bout any a that. What I said, stands. Anybody got a problem with that? Anybody wanna fuckin' test me?" Daryl points his bow over at Andrea and Dale.

"Daryl! Enough, we need to get Jim out and keep movin', we can be there by sundown." Shane has joined the four of us now.

"He didn't make it?"

"He's asked for us to leave him here, so he can...pass. He's in a lot of pain, he won't make the trip." Shane rubs at the back of his head.

"Alright then," I nod. "Let's do what we have to and get back on the road." I take off for the RV a second time, only this time I make it inside.

"What happened to your head?" Jim asks from where is laying in the far back.

"Just um... Doesn't matter," I force a smile. "How are you feeling?"

He begins laughing, blood trickling out from the corner of his mouth.

"That was a stupid question, I'm sorry. I'm just not sure what else to say," I shrug.

"There's nothing to say. I'm gonna be with my family, it's not the way I wanted to go you know? But we'll be together again and that's still wonderful don't you think? The way the world has a way of balancing things out." Jim says, grinning all the while.

"Yes, that is wonderful," I swallow hard. "Excuse me." Pulling open the bathroom door, finding the antiseptic and gauze in the medicine cabinet. I had thirteen stitches to start with, Andrea only popped five, once the bleeding stops again it won't look so bad. Once I've patched myself up I leave the bathroom. Jim is gone but that's ok, we've both said our piece. Everyone else is still just beyond the tree line when I find my way back to the truck. I slide into the passenger side lying across the long leather seat, thanking God, for the what must be the tenth time, that there's no middle console. I don't think I've ever fallen asleep faster in my life.

* * *

"Gotta wake up Chloe."

"No," I groan, stretching my arms above my head.

"That's my dick an' we ain't got time for no funny business." There's the Daryl I know and love, such a way with words. "We just made it inta the city, crawlin' with walkers so ya gotta wake up, sit up, an' get your gun ready."

"Where's the CDC?" I spring up into a sitting position, squinting against the darkness.

"Think it's that big buildin' up there, ya know the one with the big CDC sign in front a it." He smirks pointing to the large white building up ahead.

"Shut up," I swat at him, "I'm half asleep."

"Get it tagether." He warns, "I can only cover your ass so much out there."

"I know." I see the telltale break lights on the Cherokee, it's time. We stop behind them, rushing to meet up with the rest of the group. "Mommy, Sophia you stay on me, like right behind me."

"Ok." Sophia fists her hand in the back of my shirt as we run to the metal barricade surrounding the building. Right behind them should be the doors, the metal will come up once the doctors inside see us.

Rick bangs against the metal first, "hello! Is anyone there?"

Come on, please God, come on.

"We got walkers." Daryl calls, firing an arrow into the first one's head. "There's nobody here! We gotta move."

"Just hang on a second." I breathe, this can't be happening. There's gotta be someone here.

"I said it was your call but I'm gonna call it for ya. You wanna get your ma an that lil girl outta here we need ta leave. Even if it's just us by ourselves we can't stay." Daryl shakes his head.

"We don't have any food or water, hardly any gas. It's almost dark, we'll die out there." Do not cry Chloe, don't you dare cry.

"You're killing us! You're killing us!" Rick yells at the metal doors.

"Chloe, trust me." Daryl looks over at me, his face a mix of sympathy and panic. He knows how bad I want this, how bad I need this. A place to live, not just survive; somewhere to build a life for each other.

"Trust me!" Maybe Andrea was right, maybe I am just a child making adult decisions. If we stay and any of them die I am responsible, if we leave and one of them die I am still responsible. I'm not qualified to make these kind of decisions. I feel the nausea creeping up in my throat. Just then the blinding light from inside the building spreads over the group of us.


	7. I Wanna be Your Bow

**(A/N Everyone this is the chapter when this story really earns it's M rating. Smut and sexy times ahead along with a glimpse into Chloe's childhood with her abusive father. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as always please review, favorite, and follow! Thanks guys!)**

(Sophia's POV)

There's only one doctor in the whole place; Doctor Edwin Jenner. He takes three vials of blood from each of us, that's the price of admission. Carl and I are the last to go, it doesn't hurt that bad. Not as much as I thought it would.

"Are you ok?" Dr. Jenner asks when I stand up only to fall back into the chair again.

"I'm fine." I say, standing up again this time more slowly. Hating how weak my legs feel under me.

"She hasn't eaten in days." Chloe rushes to my side. "None of us have."

"Well, follow me." The older man smiles at her, collecting all the blood for testing.

I think Chloe might hate me...for what I said about the CDC being a nice thought. She wants me to be like Carl, to just believe that the adults will take care of me and that I don't have to worry so I can just be a kid. She wants me to be blind to what's happening and I'm not. We follow Doctor Jenner down the long hallway through a set of doors.

"Woah," Carl breathes, taking in the large kitchen.

"We have quite a selection of nonperishable and powdered meals, wine as well. You're more than welcome to anything you find." Maybe he's just being nice, maybe he hasn't seen another person in a long time, or maybe there's something wrong here.

"Thank you." Lori speaks up first.

Daryl rushes to the pantry, grabbing the jar of peanut butter; twisting the cap off and dipping two fingers inside without a second thought. He licks his hand clean before diving in again this time holding his fingers out to Chloe.

"Uck, no baby." She turns her nose up at him.

"Protein." Daryl shrugs, continuing his meal.

"Chlo, check it out!" Glenn calls from the left side of the room, shaking a box of cereal and condensed milk.

"Score." She rushes over to him.

"Honey slow down, we have enough food here to make us an actual dinner." Mom smiles at her.

"Sophia and Carl why don't you come pick out a couple things you'd like for supper." Lori suggests.

I grab the cheddar scalped potatoes.

"Chloe, quit makin' out with Glenn an' hand me tha wine opener." I hear Daryl grumble from the corner of the room.

"Oh no I thought we were being discrete." She mumbles around a mouthful of cereal. "Hold my bowl love muffin." Chloe teases handing her cereal off to Glenn and making her way toward Daryl. She worms her way into his arms, he ignores her for the most part, continuing to turn the corkscrew behind her back. "Hey, hey." She pokes at his sides.

"What girl? How much attention do ya need?" Daryl sounds equal parts annoyed and amused like we always does when he talks to her.

"All of it," Chloe whines, earning her a smirk. Daryl grabs the bottom of her pony tail, tugging her head back so she's looking up at him and then kisses her.

"Eww!" Carl and I squeal at the same time. I've never see Chloe kiss a boy before and I hope I never do again.

"Don't watch," Mom laughs. "Someday that'll be you kissing a boy and your sister will be the one saying eww." She likes Daryl I think, I'm still trying to decide if I do.

"Knowing Chloe she'll be beatin' those poor boys away with a stick." Lori chuckles. "You can tell though, they're gonna look just alike."

"I've always said that." Mom replies; its true. Mom always goes on about how much I look like Chloe when she was my age. So when I get older, if I get older, I'll be pretty. I'll have any boy I want. Will I want a boy like Daryl then too? I would have to change a lot to want that. I've changed a lot already.

"Come on Sophia, you can help us cook," Jackie offers.

"Ok." I nod.

(Daryl's POV)

"You know in France and Italy children have a little wine with their dinner." Dale says as he pours wine inta Lori's glass. We're all sat 'round a large table with a white cloth over it. This is tha best meal I've had since this whole thing started.

"And when Carl is in Italy or France he can have some then." Lori replies, puttin' her hand over Carl's cup.

"Oh come on, just a little what's it gonna hurt?" Rick speaks up, maybe he's not as much of a uptight prick as I thought.

"Ok." Lori shrugs.

"Alright." Dale laughs pourin' tha kid a glass.

"Eww." Carl's face screws up when he takes tha first sip.

"That's my boy, that's my boy." Lori grins, dumpin' tha wine inta her own glass.

"Tastes nasty." Carl tells Sophia, aside a Chloe and I. It's different, sittin' at a table with the group a 'em. Way things used ta be, I'd prolly be sittin' off somewhere on my own. Not now, it's like I got this girl who just won't let me be how I was. Always givin' a shit 'bout where I am, what I'm doin', if I'm ok. I ain't never had nothin' like that before, never realized how much I wanted it.

"Why don't you stick to soda pop bud." Shane comments and everyone laughs again.

"Not you Glenn, keep drinkin' little man. I wanna see how red your face can get." I taunt Glenn from 'cross the table. His face goes red immediately and his grin widens. He ain't so bad, not really. Seems like he'd be a fun drunk.

"Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!" Chloe insists pounding her fists against tha table. She's had her fair share a alcohol already but she's still drinkin' away.

Rick clangs his fork against his wine glass loudly. "Seems to me we haven't properly thanked our host."

"He is more than just our host." T-Dog is the first to raise is glass.

"Cheers." Chloe and Carol are next.

"Cheers to you doc." Jackie smiles lifting her cup with Shane and Dale.

"Booyah!" I raise my entire bottle of wine.

"Thank you." Rick nods to Jenner.

"Booyah!" Glenn repeats.

"So doc when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here? All the other doctors that are supposed to be figuring this out; where are they?" Shane asks completely killin' all tha laughter in the room.

"Shane we're celebrating, we don't need to do this now." Rick mutters.

"That's why we're here right? To get answers. Instead we found him, we found one man. Why?" Shane presses on and Chloe takes a large gulp of wine.

"When things got bad a lot of people left to be with their families. When things got worse and the military ordinance went down most people just bolted." There's somethin' off 'bout him.

"Every last one of em?" Shane cocks his head to the side, he ain't buyin' it neither.

"Some of them couldn't face walking out the doors, they...opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time." There it is, a lil sliver a tha truth after all his bullshitin'.

"But you didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asks the question we're all wonderin'.

"I just kept working, hoping to do some good." Jenner looks down, refocusin' on tha plate a food in front a him.

"Dude you are such a buzz kill." Glenn says, standin' up. The lightness that was in tha air is all gone now, so is mosta tha food. We all feel it, tha time for playin' house is over.

"If you'd all follow me, I'll show you we're you can put your things." Jenner stands leadin' us back out the way we came and through a new set a doors. Behind it is a long hallway, the walls are the same gray dull color as almost everythin' here. "Most of the facility is powered down including housing so you'll have to make do here. The couches are comfortable but there are cots in storage if you'd like. There's a rec room down the hall you kids might enjoy, just don't plug in any of the video games. Same thing if you shower go easy on the hot water."

"Hot water?" Glenn pipes up.

"That's what the man said." T-Dog turns to him with tha same shit eatin' grin.

"Chloe are you coming to the rec room?" Carl asks excitedly.

I know that look, she can't never say no to those damn kids. Not that I blame her, they grow on ya.

"Half an hour, that's all I need it's almost their bed time." She turns to me.

"Go on," I wave her away. "I'ma go get us a couple a them cots."

"Thank you, you're wonderful." She rains kisses over my face.

"Wastin' your time sweet talkin' me." I grin, "go play with tha half pints."

"Come on Glennie, we're going to play."

"Wooohoooo!" 'ppearantly Glenn is wasted too.

"Sophia, Carl last one there is a rotten egg." Chloe takes off down tha hallway.

"Mom she cheated you all saw it!" Carl protest chasin' after the three of them.

"Haha you can't catch- Ahh!" Chloe's sing song tauntin' is cut short when she trips over her own two feet, fallin' on her face. Glenn jumps right over her. "Hey aren't you gonna help me?"

"No way." He laughs continuin' down the hallway.

"Come on Sophia, I'm your sister." Chloe yells as the younger girl passes her.

"You're also the rotten egg."

"Haha!"

"Man, those lil kids are savage." I say under my breath but Carol hears me.

"You think that's bad? Has Chloe ever told you the story about how she became ambidextrous?"

"What the hell does that even mean?" I grumble.

"It means you can use your right hand just as easy as your left." Carol replies.

"Nah." I shrug, we don't really talk much about what was, just what is. All that shit that happened when we were kids ain't never seemed worth talkin' 'bout.

"When Chloe was in fourth grade she got pushed off the slide at the top of the playground because she got a valentine from another girl's boyfriend."

"Pfft." I scoff.

"I'll never forget that girl's name, Amber Martinez, the fall broke her right arm. But Chloe bedazzled that little pink cast, I think she was more heartbroken when they had to take it off than about anything else."

"You're right, that sounds a lot worse." I nod.

"Oh no that's not even the best part," Carol smiles, shakin' her head. "About two days after when the doctor cleared Chloe to go back to school, she cut the little girl's pony tail off. I'd never been prouder."

"The little bitch had it comin'." I grin, imaginin' little Chloe in her pigtails with a pair a scissors in one hand and a fist full a hair in the other.

"That's what Ed said, as you can imagine it wasn't well received by the parents. He wasn't perfect but he had his moments you know? That was one of them."

"Hey uh, ya want one a them cots. I could get ya one, ain't no trouble." I say after a beat a awkward silence.

"Yes, thank you." Carol reples.

"Anytime." I don't know why I even asked, I don't owe her nothin'. But she's Chloe's Ma, I want her ta like me. I think she might. Why else would she be tellin' me all that shit?

* * *

"Daryl?" Chloe stumbles through the door holdin' a bottle a liquor.

"Good thing I was countin' on ya bein' late, it's goin' on a hour that you've been gone."

"No I did leave on time, I just spent the last twenty minutes looking for you. I barged into everyone's room at least twice. They hate me." She laughs, her face goin' all red.

"Well ya foun' me, the kids an' Glenn get ta bed alright?" I ask, closin' tha space between us.

"Mhm," She hums lookin' up at me from under her long lashes.

"Mkay then." I lock my arms under her ass, liftin' her up easily and tossin' her onta the bed. Grabbin' her bottle and puttin' it on the floor 'fore she can spill anymore, my arms on either side a her head ta steady myself.

"I love your arms. The way your biceps flex when you're holding your bow is better than porn. God, I wish I was your bow." She slurs runnin' her fingers over my skin.

"Stop," I lift her chin ta kiss her. Her plump lips pliant against mine.

"It's true. I could soak an entire pair of panties just thinking about them." She tries ta rub her thighs together but I stop her, restin' between her legs so that her hips are cradlin' mine.

"Is that so?" I smirk down at her, brushing tha hair away from her face.

"Yeah, I think you should make me naked now." She reaches down, beginnin' ta tug her own shirt up above her head.

"Just so ya know if we hadn't been foolin' 'round for a while I wouldn't be doin' this. You're so sloppy drunk I'm not sure if you're able ta consent." I trail open mouth kisses from her mouth, down her neck, over tha valley between her tits, ta tha smooth skin a her stomach until I reach her jeans. Pulling tha silver button and fly so I can slide her pants down her legs, over her ankles an' on ta tha floor.

"You have my express consent to do whatever you'd like to me Mr. Dixon." She breathes as her panties and bra join the rest of her clothes.

I shrug outta my own clothes fast as I can with her pullin' and tuggin' at them all the while. I capture both her wanderin' hands in one a mine, pinnin' them up above her head.

"What are you doing?" She giggles twistin' her body slightly beneath mine, tryin' ta slip away.

"Ya said ya wanted ta be my bow, so I'm gonna string you up real tight an' then let ya fly." I murmur against tha shell a her ear.

"Yes please," she breathes buckin' up against my dick. Hottest fuckin' thing in the world, hearin' her beg for me. I don't think she has a god damn clue what she does ta me. I line myself up with her, pushin' myself inside so painfully slow that I'm sure we'll both die."Daryl," she whimpers as I release her hands. Leanin' back on my heels so that her thighs are draped over mine; allowin' me ta be deeper in her than I've ever been. Her pussy wraps 'round me like a vise, so warm an' wet. She lets out a shutterin' breath her fingers fistin' in tha sheets.

"You feel so good baby." I only gotta rock against her once before those big brown eyes roll back in her head.

"Fuck." Her face screws up as I pick up the pace, her perfect tits bouncin' with every move; lettin' out those lil pants that drive me crazy.

"Come 'ere." I pull her up against me so her chest is pressed ta mine, she's in my lap now, our faces almost touchin'.

"I thought you didn't like the girl on top." She arches a eyebrow at me.

"Yeah well, you're makin' me change my mind 'bout a lota things." I push her hair behin' her ears so I can see her. She lifts off me almost all the way before sinkin' back down on my cock. "Remember you're my bow, don't cum until I say ya can, those are the rules." Her muscles clench aroun' me, she likes this game.

"You're the boss." She mutters bringin' her mouth down ta mine, suckin' my bottom lip inta her mouth and runnin' her teeth 'cross it. This girl's gon' be tha death of me. We break apart a second later as she starts movin' faster, my hands slide down, finding purchase on her hips guiding her movements. Nippin at the skin over her collar bone before takin' her left nipple inta my mouth. "Oh." Her head falls back.

I feel her fingers dancin' 'cross my shoulders, down tha skin a my back an' I force myself not ta tense up. She's gon' feel em, my scars. This is tha first time I ever took my shirt off in front a her. But she don't even seem ta notice the raised skin, just digs her nails in draggin' em down. I move my right hand down ta where we're joined circlin' her clit.

"Don't," she grabs my wrist ta stop me.

I release her nipple, pullin' back ta look at her, "what's the matter baby?"

"I'm close, you're gonna make me-," She warns, her sweet breath fannin' across my face.

"Why don't ya wanna? Ain't that the point?"

"Not until you say." She says softly, makin' me impossibly harder.

"Ya don't gotta listen ta me. Ya don't listen ta nobody." I tease her mercilessly, lovin' tha way she's lettin' me push her farther out a her comfort zone.

"I wanna make you happy...I want you to let me."

"Cum for me." I cup her face with my free hand forcin' her ta keep her eyes on mine as her orgasm rips through her. Her pussy pulsin' aroun' me, drawin' me deeper until I pour myself inta her. She drops her head onta my shoulder, comin' down from her high. "Chloe..." I busted in her, that's the mother of all fuck ups. She must know, she musta realized by now what I've done.

"It's ok, it was just...it won't happen again. I know you're sorry, please don't ruin this." Her arms find their way aroun' my neck, holdin' me to her.

"Let's get cleaned up, come on." I give her a lil love tap on her behin' ta get her movin'. She hops off a me onta the floor makin' her way ta tha bathroom. I follow her a beat later. She's standin' in tha mirror, combin' her fingers through her hair. If Chloe had a baby, my baby, I would love it. I'd love it 'cause it was a part a her. This just ain't a world for babies no more. I move behin' her flippin' on the hot water in tha shower.

"I know you're ashamed of them, you shouldn't be." She says stoppin' me dead in my tracks. "My dad didn't ever hit me in a way that left a permanent mark so maybe that's a little different but he did other things, stuff that I was too embarrassed to ever tell anyone. I was so afraid that somebody would find out, I tried to pretend for a long time like it never happened but it did. This is not your fault, they were the adults, we were the children they were bigger and stronger and they were supposed to protect us but they hurt us instead. So don't ever think for one second that I care about your scars because I don't."

"Did he...did Ed rape you?" I ask, tha last two words are almost too terrible ta even say out loud.

"No, it started out just with him looking at me. Looking at me in a way he shouldn't have, then touching me...over my clothes, he always acted like it was an accident."

"How old were you?" I wonder runnin' my fingers from her elbow up tha top a her arm.

"Does it matter?" She looks aroun' tha room uncomfortably.

"Yeah." I whisper.

"Twelve, that's when he started..."

"Ya should a let me kill 'em, after he hit ya back at camp." I woulda done more than just shot 'em. I woulda tore him up.

"I should have," she nods. "It's just...he was my dad. I always hoped he'd change."

"People like that don't change, they just get better at hidin' it. Makes me sick even thinkin'..." I trail off.

"We have to put it away. Because Ed and your dad...they're dead but we're not." She's right, I can tell she means it too. Whatever happened ta those kids don't matter now, that's part a us but that's not who we are, not anymore.

"Put it away." I agree, leanin' down ta kiss her.

(Chloe's POV)

We make love in the shower, slow and sweet under the spray of the water. Before we towel off and climb into bed. Daryl is laying on the make shift bed, both arms under his head staring up at the ceiling in just his boxers. I pull on a tee shirt and a pair of panties before joining him. Both of us on our backs.

"What are ya thinkin'?"

"I'm thinking that who ever invented the term one night stand would be rolling over in their grave if they could see us right now." I sneak a peek over at him and he smirks rolling onto his side to look at me, propped up on his right elbow.

"I mean it started like that I guess. You're tha prettiest girl I ever seen, so when you were like 'do ya wanna fuck' I was like 'I thought you'd never ask'." He shrugs. "I thought ya know just one time, that'd be enough but it wasn't. So there was a second time an' a third an' a bunch a other times. I liked fuckin' ya so much I thought maybe I'd like ta talk ta ya at some point." I love when he talks like this. So open, so honest, so Daryl. Everybody thinks he's such a hard ass and he is. But under all that he's really, sweet, loving, and wonderful. "Ya want me ta keep embarrassin' myself or can we move on?"

"No, keep going. I wanna hear more." I smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek.

"Mkay, where was I?"

"You were at the part where you wanted to talk to me."

"So I did talk ta ya, realized that I liked talkin' ta ya almost as much as I liked everythin' else we was doin'. It started ta be somethin' else, ya'd make my heartbeat so fast just by lookin' at me. I thought maybe I was in love with ya, I didn't know for sure until the night after we got back from lookin' for Merle. I saw it then, I was lovin' ya and you were lovin' me right back. I knew that I could never just fuck ya again, even if I was poundin' ya we'd still be makin' love and I was ok with that. I wanted it. And then ya took off. Felt like tha piece a shit I was again. Ya always made me feel like maybe everybody else was wrong about me, maybe I wasn't just some stupid redneck, who wasn't never gon' amount ta nothin'. Ya made me feel like I was good enough for the first time in my life."

"Because you are good enough. You are! I'm sorry I made you think for one second that you weren't. You deserve everything you want in this world." I tell him, because it's true he had to know that.

"So do you, anythin' ya want, anythin' at all, I'll make, find, or steal it for ya. Name it and it's yours. I'm whipped." He admits running, a hand over his face.

"You are," I grin, raining kisses over his face until he chuckles. "It's probably the hottest thing I've ever seen."

"Pfft." He nudges me. "Ya just like the idea a tamin' me, well that ain't never gon' happen."

"I don't want to tame you, I just want you to bloom." I lie down, restin' my head on his chest.

"Like a flower or somethin'?" His hands find their way into my hair, massaging my scalp with practiced fingers.

"Exactly like a flower." I trace patterns over the toned skin of his stomach.

"I ain't no daisy." He grumbles.

"We'll see." I yawn, unable to keep my eyes open a second longer.


	8. Singin' Kumbaya

**(A/N: Ok so it's been a while since the last update, that being said here's a super long chapter so hopefully you forgive me. Season two here we come WOOHOO! As always thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews you guys are awesome and I hope you enjoy the last chapter of the first season.)**

(Daryl's POV)

I open my eyes slowly, tha room is dark accept for tha dim lights at the corners a tha room meant ta keep people from trippin' over their own feet. Somebody put more effort inta makin' this buildin' than anybody ever put inta me my whole life...'fore her. I feel Chloe startin' ta wiggle 'gainst me an' I bury my lips in her hair. "Mornin'," I yawn stretchin' my arms. Ain't no windows in these rooms, so I'm guessin' it's mornin' goin' by tha clock on tha bed side table.

"Mmm," Chloe groans pullin' tha sheets up over her head. "Please tell me I didn't actually confess my undying love for your arms last night."

"Ya did," I chuckle pullin' down tha covers so I can see her face.

"That's so embarrassing." She laughs.

"I liked it," I shrug.

"Did you really?"

"Mhm," I nod, "kinda weird and kinky with the bow thing but if that's what you're inta 'm down for it."

"Shut up," she pouts.

"We gotta get up, people been knockin' for ya. Sophia, Carl, your Ma, I swear they think I'm keepin' ya hostage."

"You could," she grins.

"Get up," I kiss her once, 'fore climbin' outta bed and pullin' my boxers on.

"Daryl."

"Hmm?"

"I love you." I love you too, I love ya more. Tha words are right there on tha tip a my tongue so why can't I just say 'em? I wanna see her face light up tha way it does when she's excited, I wanna say it cause it's true.

I step back ta tha bed leanin' over her an' brush tha hair 'way from her face. "You too," that's good enough for now. It's somethin'. She sits up ta kiss me attemptin' ta pull me back inta bed with her.

"Uh, uh," I move away.

"Fine," she swings her legs over tha side of tha bed, standing slowly.

"How's your head feelin'?" I ask, runnin' my fingers over her long hair. Maybe she's gon' leave it down today, the way I like it.

"Like someone took a jack hammer to it, I'm not sure if it was the alcohol, Andrea's punch, or the amount of intense hair pulling inflicted on me last night." She casts me a  
sideways glance as she starts pullin' her underwear up her legs, over tha curve a her ass. I wanna ta take 'em right back off.

"Don't be a punk 'bout it." I nudge her.

"I'm not a punk." She giggles.

"You're my punk."

"Better be careful saying stuff like that around the others, you don't want them to find out you're sweet on me." She arches an eyebrow, buttoning up the front of her blue shirt.

"Pfft." I finish zippin' tha fly a my jeans. Ain't a person in tha damn world that don't know I'm sweet on her.

"You know for a guy who said he didn't want a 'damn romance novel' it kinda seems like you do." She's fully clothed now, standin' in front a me with a cocky look on 'er face.  
Those big brown eyes staring a whole inta me an' a lil smirk tuggin' at tha side a her full lips. If she smiles anymore tha dimple will come out ta play on her right cheek.

"Don't act like ya never changed your mind 'bout nothin'." I slide my shirt over my head. If we don't get outta here soon we won't leave that bed for tha rest a tha day.

(Glenn's POV)

"Alright, we got eggs, powdered but I do 'em good." T-Dog comes out of the kitchen.

"Mmmm," I groan, feeling my stomach churn at the prospect of food. "You should have took away my drinking privilege after the second chorus of we are the champions."

"I wasn't about to ruin your fun, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't let you live a little?" Chloe rubs my back lightly to get my head up off the table.

"Protein helps the hangover." T-Dog insists, sliding some scrambles eggs onto my plate.

"Uhhhgh." Surely, my brain is about ooze out through my ears.

"Come on Glennie, eat up."

"Don't ever, ever, ever, ever, let me drink again." I growl at her.

"You know I can't promise that, but I will cut you off next time. Pinky swear." She waves her finger at me.

"Good enough." I hook my pinky with her's. To Chloe and Sophia pinky swears are worth more than gold. I take the first bite slowly, chew, swallow, repeat, don't puke. I repeat the mantra to myself.

"Hey." Rick says to Shane.

"Hey." Shane nods, walking over to pour some coffee into a paper cup.

"Do you feel as bad as I do?" Rick asks, struggling to open a bottle of painkillers.

"Worse." Shane takes a seat at the table.

"What the hell happened to you? Your neck?" T-Dog asks.

"Musta done it in my sleep." Shane lies, nobody does that to themself.

"I've never seen you do that before." Rick cocks his head to the side.

"Yeah me either, not like me at all." Shane shoots a look at Lori and from the head of the table I have a clear view of the whole thing.

"Do you think they were...you know?" I whisper against Chloe's ear, not missing the way Daryl's shooting daggers at me with his eyes.

"Maybe," she breathes. "Remember how they always used to go off together in the woods? Trying to be sneaky about it. There's only two reasons that people sneak off into the woods together. They were either boning or doing creepy voodoo rituals."

"Yeah well, you would know." I sigh, trying very hard, like always, to keep the visual of Chloe and Daryl's intercourse at bay.

"Don't judge me," she elbows me hard in the ribs.

"Morning." Doctor Jenner, says as he passes behind us.

"Morning doc." We jump apart.

"Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing..." Dale speaks up first.

"But you will anyway." The Doctor replies patiently, pouring himself a cup of coffee. The dude is nice but he's a total spaz.

"We didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea tells him, setting her fork down on her plate. Never one to beat around the bush, but it gets the job done. Not even ten minutes later we're back in the room with all the digital equipment. It's every nerd's wet dream come true.

"Give me a play back of TS-19." Jenner speaks to the computer system as we approach the middle of the room.

"Playback of TS-19." Vi repeats, the large screen loading images and video of whatever he's trying to show us. Must be nice to have something that takes orders from you all day.

"Few people ever got a chance to see this; very few." Doc informs us, maybe he's closer to finding a cure than he's been letting on.

I turn to Chloe with raised brows, "what do you think it is?"

"Porn," she shrugs. What was I really expecting? A serious answer? Not from her, oh never.

"Is that a brain?" Carl wonders, looking up at the digital image on display.

"An extraordinary one," Jenner turns to look down at him. "Not that it matters in the end. Take us in for the IV."

"Enhanced internal view." The screen pans deeper into the image. There's hundreds of live wires, pulsing with light, almost like a Christmas tree.

"What are those lights?" Shane asks from the chair aside of us.

"It's a person's life; experiences, memories, it's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, and tiny ripples of light, is you. The thing that makes you unique and human." Jenner tells us.

"It's so beautiful." Chloe smiles, her eyes flickering around the screen trying to capture the entire picture.

"Does it all make sense ever?" Daryl's voice comes from a few feet away beside Carol and Sophia.

"Those are synapses, electric impulses of the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does, or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death." Death? Of course this person is dead, he's the only one left here. But happened to them?

"Is that what this is a vigil?" Rick pipes up realizing what's really going on.

"Yes or rather the playback of the vigil." Jenner's voice is softer now; as if his mind is very far away.

"This person died? Who?" Andrea takes a few step closer to the screen. Daryl watches her like a hawk, he has been ever since she decked Chloe.

"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten, infected, and volunteered to have us record the process. Vi scan forward to the first event."

"Scanning to first event." The screen shifts again, so we're looking at the whole brain and the transparent silhouette of the patient's skull and shoulders. The green and blue lights near the bottom of the brain turn black, just a few to start and then the darkness begins spreading. Snuffing out the light as it goes.

"What is that?" I look to Jenner.

"It invades the brain like meningitis, the adrenal glands begin to hemorrhage, the brain goes into shut down, then the major organs. Then death; everything you ever were or ever will be, gone." The way is tone changes, the way he's watching the playback...this is someone he knew.

"Is that what happened to Jim?" Sophia tugs on Carol's hand lightly.

"Yes." Carol takes her hand. I can't imagine trying to grow up with all this going on. When I was twelve all I had to worry about was not having a dog to eat my homework.

Andrea turns her gaze to the floor bringing her hand up to her mouth. I lost my sisters too, I know how it feels. Maybe they didn't die like Amy did but it still hurt worse than any pain I've ever felt. I didn't go around punching people. She's not the only person who lost Amy, we all did. We all loved Amy.

"She lost somebody two days ago, her sister." Lori explains, resting a hand on Andrea's shoulder.

"I lost somebody too I know how devastating it is." The doctor offers his condolences, "Scan forward to the second event."

"Scanning to second event." Once the video loads it's still the same dark brain. How can geeks even get up and move if every part of their brain is shut down?

"The resurrection times vary from case to case some have reported it happening in as little as three minutes, the longest we've heard of is eight hours. In the case of this  
patient it was two hours, one minute, seven seconds." Little red flares of light shoot out from the bottom of the brain.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori says. What kind of virus can restart a brain?

"No just the brain stem, basically it gets them up and moving."

"But they're not alive?" Rick steps forward, leaning against the workstation closest to the screen.

"You tell me." Jenner offers.

"It's nothing like it was before, most of that brain is dark." Rick shakes his head. This person isn't alive, not really, but they're not dead either.

"Dark, lifeless, dead, the frontal lobe, the neocortex, the you part; that doesn't come back. Just a shell driven by mindless instinct."

"But isn't there a way you could bring it back? The you part? Maybe you could alter the virus just slightly to make all the lights come back on?" Chloe steps around me to the other side, closer to Jenner. He turns, studying her face as if he'd never really seen her before.

"God, what was that?" Carol gasps as a white ray of light goes shooting down the image.

"He shot his patient in the head. Didn't you?" Andrea asks, already knowing the answer. He shot his patient just like she shot Amy.

"Vi power down the main screen and work stations." Obviously he doesn't want to relive this anymore, not that I blame him. If I had to put someone down, someone I loved I wouldn't be too eager to talk about it either.

"Powering down main screen and work stations." The room goes dark accept for the guiding lights along the walk ways.

"You have no idea what it is do you?" Andrea is pressing him for answers now, maybe there just aren't any.

"Could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal-" Jenner ticks off the possibilities on his fingers.

"Or the wrath of God." Jackie cuts him off, tears streaking down her face.

"There is that." Jenner nods in acknowledgment. I'm not sure if I believe in God but there has to be something out there. Something bigger than us.

"Somebody must know something, somebody somewhere." Andrea is panicking now, to be honest I am too. What if this is just the world now? What if there's no going back? How do I live with that? How do any of us?

"There are others right? Other facilities?"

"There could be some, more people like me." The good doctor shrugs.

"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Rick jumps down his throat.

"Everything went down, I've been in the dark for a little over a month now."

"So it's not just here? There's nothing left anywhere? That's what you're really saying. Isn't it?" Andrea speaks the words we're all afraid to even think.

"Jesus." T-Dog sighs when Jenner doesn't answer. Chloe's hand finds mine on top of the desk.

"Man, 'm gon' get shitface drunk; again." Daryl grumbles, rubbing the palms of his hands over his eyes.

"Doctor Jenner I realize this is all very taxing for you but I can't help notice that clock is counting down to something. What happens when it reaches zero?" Dale is probably the most observant person left in the world.

"The basement generators run out of fuel." Jenner waves the question away as if it's nothing.

"And then?" Chloe grabs him by the arm but he just shakes her off without a word. She makes her way over to Daryl, whispering to him quickly. He shakes his head at whatever she's saying, wrapping his arms around her.

"Vi what happens when the power runs out?" Rick calls out, his voice echoing loudly off the walls.

"When the power runs out facility wide decontamination will occur." The computer replies simply.

"We gotta get down to the basement, see if we can find more gas for the generator." Shane reasons, standing up from the chair.

"Mkay, let's go." Daryl agrees, pulling away from Chloe reluctantly.

"You need to stay." I stop him.

"Nah, she'll be fine for a couple minutes. Just gotta get down there an'-"

"Look, Chloe's not the type of person who's ever gonna ask you to stay but she does need you right now. Just like when we buried everyone back at camp and you left. She wanted you there then. If things go south and shit hits the fan you're the one she's going to want, the one she's going to need. So I'm going to take care of this and you're going to take care of her." I keep my voice low so just the two of us can hear. It's a tough pill for him to swallow, realizing that sometimes you just have to sit on your hands and let someone else take control but that's what has to happen here.

"A'ight, take care a business. I got 'er." He nods after mulling it over for a moment. "An' thanks." He claps me once on the back.

"No problem." I mutter, setting off with Rick, Shane, and T-Dog.

(Chloe's POV)

I pace back and forth over the carpeting in our room.

"Can ya just sit down? Everythin' is gon' be fine." Daryl's says from our make shift bed as he takes another long swig from the bottle of liquor.

"I told Mom and Sophia to pack their stuff and put it in the hallway with ours." I chew nervously on my thumbnail.

"If anythin' happens we're ready ta go. We just gotta wait for Glenn an' tha others ta figure out what's goin' on. Now will ya please just come 'ere?" He waves me over.

I plop down with a huff.

"I ain't gon' let anythin' happen ta ya." He presses a kiss to my temple and I lean into him.

"You can't make promises like that." I smile sadly.

"There's gon' be more time. Time for us ta be tagether, time for us ta be happy, an' live. We just gotta get through this first." His breath smells of alcohol and the peppermint from his toothpaste. I know he's just saying what I want to hear, what he wants to be true.

"This is just the world now." I rest my head on his shoulder, stealing the bottle from him to take a shot.

"This ain't forever, just for a lil while." He says, laying his cheek on top of my head. The room goes dark and we both jump up, racing out into the hallway. Doctor Jenner rounds the corner, his eyes fixed dead ahead.

"Why is the air off?" Lori pops her head out her door.

"And the lights in our room?" Mom asks, one hand on the door frame the other on Sophia shoulder.

"Yeah what's goin' on? I thought they didn't turn off?" Daryl reaches down, taking my hand in his keeping me behind him.

"Energy use is being prioritized." Jenner replies matter of factly, not pausing for a second.

"Air isn't a priority?" Dale's eyebrows pull together.

"It's not up to me, zone five is shutting itself down." The doctor shrugs.

"What the hell does that mean?" Daryl pulls me out into the hallway, walking briskly to keep up with Jenner. "Hey man, I'm talkin' ta you. What do ya mean it's shuttin' itself down, how can a buildin' do anythin'?"

"You'd be surprised." That's all Jenner has to say. We wind up back in the big room, there's still light in here.

"Rick!" Lori calls over the metal railing of the staircase leading to the computers on the main floor.

"Glenn, are you ok?" I shout down after her, taking the steps as quickly as I can without tripping over anyone's feet.

"Get down here!" Glenn yells, I push my feet to move faster until I reach the ground floor.

"Jenner what's happening?" Rick demands following him to the center of the room.

"The building is prioritizing energy consumption, it's designed to keep the computers running until the last possible second. That starts at the half hour mark, right on schedule." He points to the red numbers on the digital clock. "It was the french, they were the last people working toward a cure. While our people were committing suicide in the hallways they stayed in the labs till the very end. They thought they were close to a solution." Why the fuck has he chosen to wait until now to offer up this information?

"What happened?" Jackie wonders as we all huddle around Jenner.

"Same thing that's happening here, no power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel; I mean how stupid is that?" He laughs, like everything is all fun and games.

"To hell with this I don't even care, Lori get our things; we're leaving. Everybody grab your stuff." Rick points to the door.

"Ok." Jackie nods.

A buzzer shrieks from above our heads and Daryl's hands fly up to cover my ears.

"Dad what is that?" Carl looks up at Rick.

"Thirty minutes to decontamination." Vi says in her monotone voice. Daryl releases his hold on me. I don't know what exactly this decontamination entails but I'm willing to bet it's nothing we want to stick around for.

"Doc what's going on here?"

"Everybody you heard Rick get your stuff." Shane repeats, motioning for us all to follow him to the large doorway.

"Come on!" I turn my head slightly to the right, making sure than Sophia and Mom are just beside me. Where's Glenn? I turn back; he's there near the back of the group. I keep moving forward, running into Rick who's at a dead stop in front of the large metal door. "This is the only exit." I stammer pulling Sophia tight against my side.

"Did he just lock us in?" Glenn's face is white as a sheet. "He just locked us in!"

"You son of a bitch! You locked us in here!" Daryl growls, making a beeline for Jenner.

"Shane! Get him!" Rick commands, trudging back down the ramp.

"Don't! Don't." I make a run for Daryl, grabbing him from behind, locking my arms around his waist and pressing my cheek to his shoulder.

"'M gon' get ya outta here, no matter what it takes." He tenses up but he doesn't push me away.

"This is not how you save me. This is how you kill me." I whisper to him and he falters, the statement is harsh but it's true, if Jenner dies we have no hope of those doors opening.

"Jenner open the doors." Rick says calmly, having regained his composure. I drop my arms back to my sides, giving Daryl space.

"There's no point, everything top side is locked down including the emergency exits."

"Well open the damn things." Dale throws his hands up.

"That's not something I control, the computers do. I told you once those front doors closed they wouldn't open again, you heard me say that. It's better this way." When he told us about the doors nobody thought we'd want to get out. This place was supposed to have all the answers instead we're left with even more questions and no way out.

"What is? What happens in twenty eight minutes?"

No answer.

"What happens in twenty eight minutes?" Rick asks a second time.

"You know what this place is? We protected the public from very nasty stuff. Weaponized small pox, Ebola strands that could wipe out half the country. Stuff you don't want getting out ever! In the event of a catastrophic power failure; a terrorist attack for example, H.I.T.s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out." What are H.I.T.s?

"H.I.T.s?" Rick steps closer to the man in the lab coat.

"Vi, define." Jenner avoids eye contact, staring down at the floor.

"H.I.T.s; high impulse thermobaric fuel air explosives, consist of a two stage aerosol ignition that produces a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any explosive known to man, except nuclear." Mom pulls Sophia and I into a tight embrace, holding us both against her. Glenn joins us, putting his arms over the three of us and I feel Daryl's hand on my shoulder. Letting me know he's there. "The vacuum pressure ignites the oxygen between five thousand and six thousand degrees and is used when the greatest loss of life and damage destruction is desired."

"It sets the air on fire, an end to pain, sorrow, guilt, regret... everything." Jenner is emotionless in his response.

"We should have gone when you said." I breathe, Daryl moves closer, fitting himself snug against my back. Holding me. "I should have listened to you, I'm sorry."

"You were right, 'bout food, water, shelter. Everythin' we needed it was all here." Daryl argues.

"Nobody blames you for this baby." Mom look over at me, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"We're still alive because of you." Sophia says and I crumble; if I can't save her, if I can't save any of them; all of it was for nothing.

Daryl pauses, his eyes finding mine. And just for a second it's easy to forget what's happening, what will happen. "'Cause a you I got a family. 'Cause a you I give a damn whether I live or die. So I ain't just gon' sit aroun' singin' kumbaya. I'm either gon' get ya outta here or die tryin'." He leaves us then, joining Shane to hack at the metal door with an ax.

"I'm gonna go too, see if I can help." Glenn gives my hand a final squeeze before letting go.

"You should have left well enough alone it would have been so much easier." Jenner shakes his head at them. Mom sinks to the ground aside of Lori and Carl, pulling Sophia into her lap.

"Easier for who?" Lori spits.

"All of you. You know what's out there. A short brutal life and an agonizing death, is that really what you want for your wife and son?" Jenner turns to address Rick now.

"I don't want this." None of us do.

"Can't make a dent." Shane rubs anxiously at the back of his head.

"Those door are designed to withstand a rocket launcher."

"Well your head ain't." Daryl charges the doctor again only this time with his ax and I make no move to stop him, it doesn't matter. We're all going to die here anyway.

"Woah, back up!" T-Dog steps in front to restrain Daryl but he's having none of it. It takes most the men in our group to corral him.

"Daryl, back up."

"You do want this, last night you said you knew it was only a matter of time before everyone you love was dead." By the look on everyone's faces I can tell they're genuinely surprised that Rick would say that. I'm not, I've thought about it more than once. Thought about how I'd be able to go on, if I even could.

"You really said that man? After all your big talk." I don't think I've ever wanted to punch Shane more.

"I had to keep hope alive didn't I? Didn't I?" Rick raises his voice and as everyone else takes a collective step back I take one forward.

"Yes you did, of course you did. Hope isn't worth all that much but it's all we've got. Hope, love, each other that's all we have in this world. You had to keep trying even if you didn't believe, you had to, that's what makes you a leader." I'm not sure why I'm telling him this, maybe because it's what I've been wishing someone would say to me.

"There is no hope." Jenner reiterates for the hundredth time.

"Maybe not here, maybe not you but somebody somewhere-" Rick argues, this is not the time for us to back down.

"What part of there's nothing left don't you understand?" Andrea cuts him off.

"Listen to your friend she gets it. This is what takes us down, this is our extinction event."

"This isn't right you can't just keep us here." Mom protests from her spot on the floor.

"One tiny moment, a millisecond. No pain." Jenner assures her.

"My daughters don't deserve to die like this."

"Wouldn't it be kinder? More compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?"

"Maybe it would be kinder for someone who's ready to give up. Look at me, look at my family, all of us in this room; do we look like the kind of people who have given up?" I scream at him.

"Out of my way." Shane marches toward Jenner with his gun poised and ready.

"Shane no."

"Out of my way Rick."

"You open them up! You open those doors! I will blow your head off." Shane holds the gun to Jenner's face.

"Brother, brother this is not how we do this. We will never get out of here." Rick puts a hand on his chest, the other on the gun.

"Shane you listen to him." Lori insists.

Shane growls back at her like an animal.

"Shane! When he dies we all die, we all die!"

Shane begins firing at the computer stations until Rick wrestles him to the ground.

"Are you done now? Are you done?" Rick draws the gun back, ready to knock Shane out with the butt of it.

"Yeah I guess we all are." Shane says through gritted teeth, both of them still panting.

"There's gonna be more," I kneel down so I'm at eye level with Jenner in the chair. "More hard times, more good times, more death, more life, more heartache, more joy, more love, there is more. A whole world of it out there."

"Don't you get it? I don't want any more." Jenner leans back in his chair.

"But I do." Can't he see that?

"If I let you go you'll die." I've known this guy less than a week, why the hell does he care so much what happens to me? To any of us? In his mind this is a mercy killing. What can I say to make him understand it's murder?

"If you keep me here I'll die anyway."

"Do you want to be like test subject nineteen? Do you want to be like my wife?" Oh.

"Test subject nineteen was your wife." Lori says softly.

"She asked me to keep going for as long as I could, that's the only reason I'm still here. It should have been me on that table, she was a loss to the world. She could have figured this out. What you said earlier," Jenner points to me, "about making the entire brain restart, altering the virus, that was what she was working toward. That was her idea. In our field she was an Einstein and I'm just Edwin Jenner."

"Would that work?" Could it really be that simple?

"Maybe if there was a living host to draw samples from, someone who carries a mutated strain of the virus it could-"

"So there is hope. Your wife she didn't have a choice; you do. That's all we want. A choice, a chance." Rick joins the conversation.

"Let us keep trying as long as we can." Lori pleads. But I'm done begging now, done talking, done fighting, just done.

"I told you top side is locked down I can't open those." Jenner walks over to the blue key pad, scanning in his card, and entering the code. The metal door slides open. Oh God, he's letting us go.

"Th-thank you." I stammer, willing my feet to move toward the exit with everyone else.

"We got four minutes left come on!" Glenn screams at Rick and I. Jenner is speaking directly into Rick's ear, telling him something the rest of us aren't supposed to hear, until Lori comes to drag Rick away.

"Come on Jackie, come on." T-Dog says, rushing her up the ramp in front of me.

"No, NO! I'm staying, I'm staying sweetie. There's no time to argue and no point. Not if you wanna make it out. Get out just get out." She gives him a slight shove. I want to go after her but Daryl stops me, reaching back to grab me by the wrist.

"Uh uh," Daryl shakes his head, "ain't no time for this baby."

"T-Dog we have to go. Let's go."

"Chloe!" Sophia calls out for me from her place at the front of the group with Mom.

"I'm right here," I push past Shane so I'm right behind her as we make a run for the top floor. Without Jackie, without Andrea, without Dale. We reach the front entrance, and Glenn goes for the keypad. While T-Dog tries to force the door open with this shoulder.

"Can we get the doors open?" Shane calls to them, I'm not sure how much time is left, not enough.

"The key pad doesn't work."

"Daryl." Shane waves him over to the window, pounding against the glass.

"The glass won't break?" Sophia looks between me and Mom.

"It will." I assure her.

"Rick I have something that might help." Mom says to him, diving into her backpack with trembling hands.

"Carol I don't think a nail file is going to do it." Shane retorts.

"Your first day at camp when I washed your uniform I found this in the pocket." She holds out the grenade to him. He grabs it quickly, running over to the window.

"Everybody get down!" He yells pulling the pin from the explosive.

I drop down on top of Sophia, blanketing as much of her body as I can. The grenade goes off. There's no time to wait for the ringing in my ears to stop before I'm being hauled to my feet. The sound must have drawn the geeks to us, they're scattered throughout the courtyard. We pick them off; fighting our way back to the cars. Lori, Rick, Carl, and Glenn pile into the RV. T-Dog in the white van, Shane in his jeep, Mom and Sophia safe in the Cherokee by the time Daryl and I reach the pick up truck.

"Dale, Andrea! Get down! Everybody get down!" Rick hollers from the RV. Dale? Andrea? They made it out, what about Jackie? I pop my head out the window.

"What tha fuck? Ya tryna get yourself killed?" Daryl grabs me roughly, pinning me down against the seat with him over me. Just in time for the second explosion to take down the CDC. When it's over and Daryl finally let's me up, there's nothing left but smoke and flames. He holds my face between his hands, checking me over for any signs of obvious damage.

"Am I ok?"

"Yeah, perfect." His lips find mine.

"You too." I smile as we break apart.


	9. Cry Baby

**(A/N: Hey everybody we have** **MAJOR** **stuff happening in this chapter and the next starting with some smut. Yay! Lol the playlist for this chapter to in order is Unsteady by X Ambassadors, Soap by Melanie Martinez, Civilian by Wye Oak, Crybaby by Melanie Martinez, and Not Today by Imagine Dragons. So enjoy and see you at the bottom.)**

(Daryl's POV)

I wake up in tha tent, first thing I notice is that I'm alone. Well not really, Carol an' Sophia are still 'sleep on tha opposite side a tha tent but tha space next ta me where Chloe sleeps is empty. I grab a cigarette from tha pack I found earlier an' tha black lighter. Pullin' open tha tent zipper, I close it behind me as quietly as I can. 'Fore lightin' my cigarette, takin' a long drag.

"Pssst." I turn aroun' ta see Chloe sittin' on tha groun'.

"What are ya doin' out here?" I wonder.

"Can't sleep." She shrugs, twistin' tha end a her ponytail aroun' her finger.

"So ya drug your sleepin' bag out here?" I take another hit from my cigarette. Won't tell her 'bout how my heart skipped a beat when I realized she was missin'.

"Yeah, I like looking at the stairs." Her eyes are a lil red, like maybe she's been cryin'.

"Mind if I look with ya?" I ask, takin' a step toward her an' tossin' my cigarette away.

She smiles. "Come on," It's a tight fit inside her sleepin' bag but we make it work. She kisses tha side a my neck, nuzzlin up against me.

"When Merle an' I were kids sometimes our Ma would bring us out to our Grandma's house, when things got too bad with my Dad. Anyway my grandparents had a big porch with all these rockin' chairs an' we'd sit out there for hours just lookin' up at tha sky. They got a bunch a stupid names, tha only one ya gotta remember is tha North Star, that's tha one that guides ya." She pulls back to look at me, most beautiful girl in tha world.

"This is the part where you're supposed to tell me that I'm your North Star and then make passionate love to me for three minutes." She says, runnin' her thumb over my bottom lip.

"Three minutes?" I chuckle.

"It's not like we have the luxury of anything but a quickie nowadays." She sighs deeply, "but I miss it, I miss being close to you."

It's different than it was back at camp, we're constantly movin'. Can't sneak off in tha woods no more, everybody's on edge, walkers are comin' 'cross our path more often. We sleep in tha same tent with Sophia an' Carol so ain't no action happenin' in there. Even tha truck tapped outta gas a few days ago so that's outta tha question too. So that leaves us out here, under tha stars fumblin' aroun' in her pink sleepin' bag. I roll on top of her clumsily just as she starts to lean up, our heads knockin' tagether.

"Ouch, fuck." She laughs.

"Shhh," I press my lips ta tha sore spot on her forehead, "sorry."

"It was my fault," she whispers, pressin' a soft kiss ta my mouth.

I dip my hands down, inta her panties under her pajama pants, trailin' a finger up her slit. "You're so fuckin' wet," I mutter into her hair. She's drippin' onta my hand an' I barely touched her. "Chloe," I free my cock from my pants as I slip a finger inta her tight lil pussy. Her muscles clench aroun' my finger. I add a second digit as I move my head down ta suck her left nipple through tha fabric of her shirt.

"Please...I wanna feel you." She says softly.

I line myself with her, pushin' in all tha way. Lettin' out a low groan. Her hands are on my face, rubbin' her thumbs over my cheeks, pink lips slightly parted, brows pulled tagether in her effort ta keep quiet. I take her mouth with mine as I move against her, pullin' out nearly all tha way before fillin' her again. Her breath hitches in her throat, soft praises spurin' me on.

"Don't stop." Her hands find their way ta my lower back, nails scratchin' over my skin. I run my tongue over hers coaxin' it out ta play, swallowin' her little cry of pleasure as her full hips come up ta meet mine. She pulls her mouth from mine ta, bury her face in my shoulder. "Faster, please. Daryl." She ain't never been shy 'bout tellin' me what she likes, tha way my name sounds on her tongue drive me crazy. I fuck her in earnest now, my hips buckin' against her wildly. She's gettin' louder, too loud.

"Hush Chlo," I brush tha hair that escaped her ponytail away from her face. I love tha look on her face, knowin' that I'm doing it ta her. She's close, her entire body strung tight. Finally she arches up against me, holdin' her breath as she falls apart. I let her ride out her orgasm before pullin' out. She closes her fist aroun' my dick, pumpin' 'til I release inta her hand trailin' kisses down her neck. She wipes her fingers off with tha rag from my back pocket before tossin' it away. Tomorrow we'll pack up all our shit an' press on ta Fort Benning. Tha more places I go, more parts a tha city I see, tha less I believe that there's still anythin' out there worth finding. Maybe we should just stop searchin' for somethin' that don't exist. "Do ya ever think 'bout just findin' a lil house out in tha middle a nowhere? Some place where we can live. Us, Sophia, Carol, Glenn, hell anyone that wants ta come from our group is welcome."

"I'm not ready...I can't give up on the idea that there's a way to fix all this. I want a world where we can have a life together. We can get married, have kids, work boring jobs. We could even have a dog and just be normal. Sophia can grow up and fall in love and maybe even my mom could find somebody that makes her happy. Glenn could have a girlfriend and I'd be best man at his wedding and life would go on. Don't you want that too?" It all sounds good when ya say it like that but guys like me don't have a wife like her. I'm not tha guy that lives in a nice house or has a teacup dog an' two an' a half kids. I ain't got no money, never even thought 'bout gettin' a good payin' job. Tha only way I get ta be with her is if everythin' stays just how it is.

I shrug. "If you want to press on that's what we'll do."

"In a perfect world what am I to you?" She asks.

"Same thing ya are now..."

"What am I now?" She keeps pressin' me for answers that I don't have. What is she? More than a girlfriend, more than a wife, there ain't a word for it.

"You're Chloe. Can't that be enough?" Not good enough, never enough; always gotta be better, always gotta have more.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's fine." I cut her off.

"No, it's not. I know that I can come on strong but at least I'm telling you what I want. At least I don't just shut down." She snaps.

"That's what you think I'm doin'? Shuttin' down?" I look over at her, how can she even think that?

"You've barely said two words to me since we left the CDC."

"In case ya haven't noticed I'm tryin' ta make sure ya have food ta eat, water ta drink, a place ta sleep! I'm sorry princess but tha world ain't all gum drops and rainbows-"

"If you're mad, be mad, but don't treat me like I'm an idiot because that's bullshit." She climbs out of tha sleepin' bag. "Just because you went your whole life thinking that no one would ever want you doesn't give you the right to treat me like shit because I do want you. If what I said scared you, if I want too much, if you don't want what I want then tell me so we can discuss it. Just talk to me."

"What do ya want me ta say? That I'm not good enough for ya? Well ya already know that-"

"If you don't think you're good enough for me then make yourself good enough. That's what you do when you love someone. But if you don't want to be with me then just say it." Her dark eyes swimmin' with tears.

"I should never have touched ya." I shake my head at her. "I broke ya, just like I broke everythin' else."

She moves closer ta me, we're both standin' up now, facing each other. "Why do we always do this? I push you away, you pull me back; you push me, I pull you back. Will we ever stop playing tug of war with each others hearts?"

"No, I don't think so." Watchin' her leave is tha hardest thing I ever had ta do. But it had ta be done. Tha life she wants...I can't put it tagether, no matter how bad I wish I could.

(Chloe's POV)

We're pulling up stakes here, downsizing again and leaving behind T-Dog's van. Now we just have the RV, the Cherokee, and the bike. Daryl is fueling up as Sophia changes into a clean over shirt. It's going to get colder soon, hopefully we'll find some warmer clothes.

"Hey," I call up into the RV. "Got room for one more?"

"For you? Always." Dale smiles down at me.

"Are we road trippin' it together dude?" Glenn says as I pass him, climbing up the steps of the Winnebago.

"Together forever." I force a smile.

"Hells yeah." Why couldn't I have just fallen in love with Glenn? He's smart, funny, the sweetest guy I've ever met and we always get along. Of course we have absolutely no sexual chemistry, nothing could ever be that easy. Not for me.

"Welcome aboard," Andrea nods in my direction. This is the first thing she's said to me since she blamed me for Amy.

"Thanks for having me." I take a seat at the table. Everybody holds their tongue, avoiding eye contact. If they didn't hear what happened between Daryl and I last night they're definitely wondering why I've decided not to ride on the bike. But they don't ask and that's all that matters. "So uh what do you guys do to entertain yourselves?"

"Dale has a ton of books." Glenn offers.

"There's also a checkerboard in back if you wanna dig around a bit." Dale adds, turning around to face us.

"You never told me there was checkers. You were holding out on me." Glenn accuses.

"I was just saving them for a special occasion."

"Haha I'm a special occasion." I stick my tongue out at Glenn as I venture into the tiny storage closet at the back of the RV.

"Alright guys we're all good let's hit the road." Shane says climbing into the passenger seat.

"On the road again," T-Dog sighs, stretching out on the long bench along the window.

"Everything good?" Shane asks; nosy as ever.

"Everything is fine." I lie, returning to the table with the checker board. "You wanna be red or black Glennie?"

"Red."

"Mhm." Shane rubs at the back of his head. Seems to me like he needs to get his own life in order before he starts asking questions about mine.

We set up the board and I only get to move two pieces before I hear the tell tale squealing of the RV hose.

"Just like I told you, dead in the water." Dale sighs shifting the vehicle into park.

"What's going on?" I wonder making my way to the front of the RV.

"I've been rigging that damn hose for weeks, it's more duct tape than hose." The older man throws his hands up in defeat.

"Well," I take a look out the window, the cars on this highway are practically piled on top of each other. "If we can't find a hose here we can't find one anywhere."

"We can siphon some gas from these cars so we can turn around." T-Dog sits up. Shane, Dale, Glenn and T-Dog leave the RV but Andrea stays behind, trying to piece her gun back together after cleaning it.

"I just want to say...I'm still sorry about Amy. I miss her everyday, Glenn and me both. We loved her too."

"I know," Andrea nods. "There were mistakes made on all sides."

"Are you coming out?" That's probably the closest thing to an apology I'll ever get from her.

"No, I'm staying."

"Ok." I duck out of the RV, joining the others outside.

"Take what we can, food, water, clothes; anything we can use." Rick directs us.

"Let's get started, wanna be outta here 'fore nightfall." Daryl adds, I can feel his eyes on me but I keep my gaze focused ahead.

"This is a graveyard." Lori points out, "I don't know how I feel about this."

When I look back over at Daryl he's already digging through the back of one of the cars. I move past him to Sophia and my Mom. "You guys ok?" I ask.

"Just thirsty." Sophia shrugs.

"We're working on it baby." Mom assures her.

"Wanna help me check out these cars? Could be cool stuff." I tug on the end of one of her short pigtails.

"What kind of stuff?" Carl pipes up at the idea.

"I don't know lets go find out." I grin. "Rick, Lori, I'm kidnapping your son."

"Carl you stay in Chloe's sight at all times." Lori calls over to him.

"Yes mom."

"You too Sophia." Mom adds.

"Not to worry mama bears. I will protect your offspring with my life." I salute the pair of them.

"Where should we start?" Carl bounces with excitement.

"Pick a car, any car." I motion to the highway.

"How about...this one?" Sophia points to the pink BMW bug with black eyelashes on the headlights.

"Good choice," I pull open the driver's side door. "We have...nail polish, fluffy slippers, one of those purses to carry a tiny dog in, and finally some of that lip gloss that makes your lips swell up to look like you had injections."

"What? That car sucks!" Carl says in disappointment.

"What did you expect? It's a pink car." Sophia giggles, "you can pick the next one."

"Ok, I want the truck." He points toward the black lifted pick up.

"This should be fun," I murmur to myself climbing up into the front seat. The first thing I notice is the magazine stash, tons of playboy, some sports illustrated, and finally a couple comic books. "Carl." I hand them down to him.

"Sweet, thank you." He grabs them from me as I jump back down to the pavement.

"All in a days work." I ruffle his hair.

"Chloe!" Someone calls out to me in a whisper.

I turn to Rick, just in time to see the massive bunch of walkers moving toward us.

"Oh my god. Sophia, Carl, get under the cars." I whisper rolling beneath the blue convertible, I wish I could be closer to them, they're just kids. Scared, away from their parents but this was the best I could do. If I'd taken the time to get us all under one car I would have led the geeks straight to them. Sophia's holding on to her doll for dear life while Carl puts on a brave face. Mom and Lori are underneath a van just a couple feet away. I can't see Daryl or Glenn at all, don't panic; they're big boys they can handle themselves. I try to calm my breathing, closing my eyes and resting my head on the pavement. Everything will be fine, tomorrow I'll wake up in my tent and this whole day will just be a nightmare by then.

"Ahhh!"

My eyes snap open at the sound of the scream; Sophia. A walker has it's arm wedged under the car, reaching for her. I go for my gun first, dropping my hand quickly. Don't be an idiot Chloe, that's only going to draw them straight to you. If I die, I can't save her. I slide out from beneath the car just in time to see Sophia jump the guard rail heading toward the woods. I move as quickly as I can without drawing the attention of the few straggling geeks on the road. She's just up ahead with two walkers after her now. I've never taken on more than one before. I'll just have to, I'll do whatever it takes. Isn't adrenaline supposed to kick in? You know that stuff that allows mothers to lift up cars and save their kids. That can't just be bullshit can it? I finally catch her around the waist, ducking behind a tree. She struggles against me, "shhh, shhh. Sophie it's me, it's me."

She turns in my arms hugging me tightly, "I knew you'd come." She cries.

"Everything is going to be ok." I push the sweaty hair away from her face. I take a step back so I can see where the walkers have gone and feel something against my back. I lift my knife ready to drive it into the walker's skull.

"Woah, easy." Rick grabs my wrist and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Where are they?" I whisper just before hearing the familiar groans from the way we came.

"We gotta move."

I nod grabbing Sophia's hand and pulling her aside of me as fast as her legs will carry her until we reach a shallow creek.

"I'll lead them away you both go, hide right in there till they pass. If I don't come back you run back to the highway." Rick says pointing to the tiny opening in the underbrush, surrounded by wines.

He's going to save Sophia's life even if it means giving up his own. "Thank you Rick."

"Go." He says quietly.

I carry her down the creek side, slipping inside the tiny cove beside the water with Sophia in my lap.

"Come on you ugly son of a bitch! Come on." Rick yells drawing the two walkers over to him and leading them away in the opposite direction of where we came.

"It'll be easier for Rick if we just stay put. Give him a couple minutes." I tell Sophia.

"Ok," Sophia replies, her face soaked with tears.

"I'm proud of you, you know that?" I kiss her head.

"All I did was scream when that walker tried to grab me, you wouldn't have screamed." She argues.

"You're only twelve. Don't rush growing up, it sucks."

"Is that why you're mad at me, because I want to grow up?" Sophia asks, I feel awful.

"I'm not mad at you...it's hard for me. You're my baby, and soon you'll be a woman. It's different but I was never mad at you." I don't ever want her to feel guilty for being who she is, I just have to let go. That's the part that kills me.

"Just because I'm getting older doesn't mean I don't need you anymore. I'll always need you." She whispers.

"You better." I laugh quietly, hearing footsteps approaching us. It sounds like the whole group is down here looking for us. "We better not keep them waiting, you know Mom's worried sick."

Sophia stands first, pulling back the vines and stepping out into the water. I follow her, finding myself face to face with nearly a dozen walkers. My heart drops into my stomach, I lift my knife as they start trudging across the water. I grab Sophia, dragging her up onto the dry soil. She trips over one of the tree roots and I go down with her, the walkers just a few feet behind us now. "Sophia, are you ok? You have to get up."

"I'm ok." She jumps up quickly.

I pull myself to my feet, the pain in my ankle is unbearable, shooting up my entire leg. "Shit." I fall back to the ground.

"Chloe!" She tugs my hand.

"I need you to listen to me, I know you're scared. Being scared just means you're about to do something really brave. I can't walk, I can't run. I'm going to slow you down."

"No I'm not leaving you, I won't." She cries.

"Sophia you have to, I'll be ok. I can hold them off but you have to go back to the highway back to Mom and Glenn tell them where I am so they can come get me. Remember I'm between the two trees with the fork in them. Run that way, it's a straight shot. You don't stop running, you don't turn around, no matter what you hear." I say as calmly as I can.

"Please don't make me do this." She begs, a fresh batch of tears falling onto her cheeks.

"You have to go right now, they're coming." I tell her and she listens, racing off into the trees. The walkers surround me, I take three out before they really start to overwhelm me. Piling one on top of the other, but I keep fighting, knowing it's useless. That's when I hear it, the subtle clapping behind the tree.

"I gotta hand it to ya, you lasted a lot longer than I thought you would." Ed steps into view, holding a cigarette between his lips.

"You're not real." I shake my head to clear it.

"I'm as real as I ever was princess." He scoffs. "I shoulda known you'd leave this world the same way you came in, cryin' and screamin'." He takes another step toward me. "I wanted boys ya know, instead I got a couple a cry babies, you an' your sister both; just like your mother."

"Fuck you Ed." I spit at him.

"You think you're tough now girl? You think you're a fighter? You're nothin' but a crybaby."

"You're dead."

"And what do ya think you are?" He laughs a deep belly laugh.

(Daryl's POV)

"Oh Lori, there's two walkers after my babies," Carol cries out. I push off tha walker corpse I was usin' ta cover myself 'fore pullin' tha other off T-Dog. His arm is still bleedin' like a bitch from where he cut it on tha car next ta us.

"You good T?" I get 'em inta a sittin' position.

"Go man, just go," he waves me away, knowin' there's somewhere else I need ta be.

"Which way did they go?" I run over ta Carol, takin' her by tha shoulders. I can track 'em but a general direction would be nice ta start with.

"Rick went after them." Lori informs me, as if I'm supposed to just trust her husband, who left my brother chained to a roof, with Chloe's life.

"Fuck this," I head inta tha woods. I shouldn't a taken my eyes off of her, not for a second. What tha hell was I thinkin'? This what I get for doin' tha right thing? Is this tha cost I'm gon' pay for savin' T-Dog's life?

"Daryl hold up!" It's Glenn callin' after me, apparently him an' Shane are taggin' along for tha ride. But they're gon' have ta catch up, I ain't got time ta wait for no one.

I see somethin' movin' behin' one a tha trees; Rick. Just Rick, only Rick. "Where tha hell are they? Where tha hell are tha girls?"

"They didn't come back?" Rick stammers.

"If they did I wouldn't be down here askin'." I resist tha urge ta slap tha shit outta him.

"They might still be down by the stream, come on." Ranger Rick leads Glenn, Shane, and I 'bout a quarter mile deeper inta tha woods. We trudge down inta tha water, "I left them right here."

"Are ya sure this is tha place?" I ask, peekin' inta tha dirt filled openin'.

"Yes, I'm positive. I assumed they just took off back to the highway." Rick runs a hand over his face.

"Do you think they even knew which way it was?" Shane butts in.

"Chloe ain't no idiot, she knew how ta get back." I shoot back.

"I'm not sayin' she's stupid. I'm sayin' what we're all thinkin'. She's out here with her kid sister, tired and scared, just had a close call with two walkers. It's possible that she got turned around." The dickhead arches his eyebrows.

"Screw you Shane she knew where she was goin'. Glenn step off ta tha side you're muckin' up tha trail." I wave my hand at him, how tha hell am I supposed ta find Chloe an' that lil girl if he gets his damn prints all over?

"Sorry," Glenn jumps back, he wants ta find 'em just like I do.

"I got clear prints right here. They did like ya said, headed back ta tha highway, they might still close. Everybody spread out."

"We're going to find them." Glenn grabs my arm, pullin' me up tha river bank.

"Yeah." I follow tha foot prints for a minute.

"What the hell is that?" Shane breathes, there'a a pile up ahead, dead walkers layin' aroun' in a circle.

"Chloe." Glenn speaks up. I bend down, ta get a better look. Tha way tha dirt is all screwed up means she was layin' down.

I point ta tha trail comin' from tha water. "The big ones are Chloe's, she didn't walk away from this. Sophia did, she ran that way."

"Ya think that's her blood?" Shane cocks his head ta tha side.

"Tha blood goes off that way with this set a foot prints an' then stops, somebody was covering their tracks." Tha trail goes cold a few feet up. No prints, no blood, no nothin'.

"Why go to the trouble?" Glenn asks.

"Because who ever did this don't want us ta find 'em." I sigh.

"How'd they know you'd even be lookin'?"

"Chloe musta told 'em." I shrug, that's tha only reason for this. "Somebody took her an' she let 'em...she wanted 'em too."

 **(A/N: Ok guys this was such a hard chapter to write so much intense stuff had to happen. We got to see what Chloe wants in the future and that Daryl still has reservations. I hate to leave them on such a sour note but that conversation had to happen. So is this the last time we'll see normal Sophia? Maybe, maybe not. Who took Chloe? It's someone we all know from season two of the show. If you get creative you can figure it out and once you realize who took her you'll have a pretty good idea as to why they did. All will be answered next chapter...well for the most part. LOVE YOU GUYS! See you next time.)**


	10. 48 Hours

**(A/N: Hey guys here's the latest chapter. Yay! I rewrote this so many times and I still don't think it's perfect but it's as good as it's gonna get. So much goes on in this chapter. Like it has a chill level of negative ten. Thanks so much for the reivews, favs, and follows, you're awesome. The playlist for this chapter is short and sweet. All I want by Kodaline and War of Hearts by Ruelle. See you at the bottom.)**

(Daryl's POV)

48 hours, that's how long ya got ta find a missin' person. After that you're lookin' for a body. It's been three days. Three days since Chloe an' Sophia disappeared inta tha woods. Three nights a Carol cryin' herself ta sleep. Three nights a me barely sleepin' at all walkin' tha highway with Andrea, lookin' for any type a sign they're still out there. But there ain't one.

"Did you find anything?" Carol pops her head up from tha pillow when she hears me swing open tha door a tha RV.

"Nah." I pull off my boots, ploppin' down on tha bench facin' out tha window.

"Thank you for looking." She says softly.

"Don't mean a damn thing if I can't find nothin'." I huff.

"It means something to me."

"Mmm mmm." I shrug, feelin' that uncomfortable ache in my chest again. "Just keep thinkin'...is that tha last thing I'm ever gon get ta say ta her? It was horrible an' mean an' I didn't even mean it. I loved 'er, maybe I wasn't no good at it but I never did nothin' but love 'er. I'm never gon' get a chance ta make that right, I don't know if I can live with that."

"My daughter adored you, Chloe would want you to forgive yourself. She'd forgive you, whatever you said, whatever you did; you were hers and she was yours. Even if, god forbid, something happened to her that doesn't change."

"Never gon' feel that way 'bout anyone else, even if she's just gone...'m gon' love her all my life. That's what keeps me up at night, tha thought a never findin' her, never havin' peace, always missin' her. Always lookin' for her." I run my hands over my face, I can't live like this, nobody can. Empty inside, just hollow.

"Remember all the things you're saying for when you find her." Carol sits up now ontop a tha bed.

"When I find her...I'm gon' ask her ta marry me. I know it don't mean much nowadays but it means somethin' ta her, so guess it's time ta stop livin' in sin."

Carol smiles, "She was always good at reading people, so are you. You see people; not just who they are but who they were, who they will be. You see the whole picture, and that's beautiful. That's why you're so drawn to each other, not because you're different but because of all the ways you're the same."

"'M gon' try an' get some sleep." I rest my head on my arm, like a make shift pillow. Toyin' with tha ring I found for her earlier.

"Goodnight Daryl." Carol calls softly an' I hear tha bed rustlin' as she lies back down.

"Night." Tha first night was tha worst. Tonight I fell like I might actually sleep. Maybe if I'm lucky this will be tha last night I have ta sleep alone.

(Chloe's POV)

I peel my eyes open at the sound of the sqwaking. What the hell is that? Something falls from the ceiling. Chickens? I turn my head to the side; walkers, over a dozen of them. I look up, those chickens didn't fall from the sky, somebody threw them down. A woman with blonde hair, mid to late thirties maybe. "Hey!" I whisper, "psst. Down here."

Her eyes bulge out when she sees me.

"Help me," I demand quietly, trying not to draw the attention of the geeks.

"Come here, my god, come here. Up the ladder fast as ya can." She waves me over to the old wooden ladder leading up to the tiny hay loft.

"Where you trying to feed me to them as an appetizer?" I reach for my knife, then my gun but they're both gone. If I have to kill her it'll have to be with my own two hands.

"No, Christ. We need ta get you ta Hershel."

"Who's Hershel?" I ask.

"Just come on girl," she leads me down to the ground outside the barn. I push against the pain in my ankle. She's taking me back to a little farm house a few yards away.

"Have you seen my sister? She's about this tall, short blonde hair, brown eyes, wearing a blue tee shirt with a rainbow on it." I call after her.

"No, it was just you. Otis brought back. Don't you remember?" She turns to look at me. Her blue eyes searching mine.

"The last thing I remember was fighting walkers in the woods and then I woke up in that barn." There's an aching in my side now too but I press on.

"Hershel!" The woman yells up to the house.

"What goin' on?" An older man with white hair steps out onto the porch, his face draining of color when he sees me.

"Hi. I'm Chloe." I introduce myself.

"Patricia bring her into the house and get out my medical bag." He comes down the steps, pressing his fingers to the pulse point at my wrist and then resting the back of his hand on my forehead.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I glance over at the girls behind him, the brunette looks about my age but the blonde looks at least two years younger. There's a boy too, standing a couple feet away in a farmers hat.

"A miracle my darling," the older man, Hershel, smiles, "a miracle."

* * *

I'm settled in the guest room of the house, after getting my ankle wrapped and a couple of stitches Hershel gives me a clean bill of health. I know I need to leave soon, get back to the highway, make sure Sophia got back safe. Patch things up with Daryl and then we can move on. The younger blonde girl, Beth, pops her head into the room after a quick knock. "Daddy wants ya ta come have dinner with us if you're feelin' up ta it." She says hopefully.

"That sounds great," I sit up and stretch my arms above my head with a wince.

"Daddy said no liftin' your arm are ya tryin ta pop a stich?" Maggie storms into the room with her hands on her hips.

"I forgot." I swing my legs over on to the wooden floor.

"How do ya forget somethin' like that?" She snaps.

"Climb down out of my asshole." I shot back at her.

"Give her a break." Beth chides her older sister.

"Listen I appreciate all you've done for me, but I have to get back to my people." I can't have them thinking this is forever. I'm not a stray dog they can nurse back to health and then keep as a pet.

"You're just gonna leave us?" Maggie shouts, my own mother doesn't scold me like that.

"You know it's not like that, I've got a little sister too and a Mom who are out there worried sick about me. I can't just leave them like that."

"Maybe they could come here too." Beth chews her lip. "I'll talk ta daddy."

"You don't have to-"

"We'll both talk ta him, you're in no condition ta travel." Maggie adds and I roll my eyes at her.

"I wouldn't ask you to burden yourselves with us-"

"What's goin' on in here girls? The food's gettin' cold." Hershel asks with a warm smile.

"Nothing." I lie.

"Chloe's leavin' us." Maggie blurts out.

"Not now she's not, she can barely walk." Hershel places a hand on Maggie's shoulder.

"Hershel I know that I'm not in tip top shape but I have family out there. I've got," I pause, unsure what to refer to Daryl as, "someone looking for me. It's not fair to them."

"No it's not. We can talk about it once yer fed. Hmm?"

"Ok," I nod. He takes my hand leading me out of the tiny guest room to the old oak kitchen table.

"I'll fix ya a plate." Patricia says, pulling out a chair for me.

"Thank you." I smile at her. These aren't my people, I remind myself.

"How are ya feelin'?" Jimmy asks, from his seat across the table.

"Good enough ta leave." Maggie sneers.

"Maggie, enough." Hershel warns.

"I never did get a chance to ask what happened to you're head. I saw the stitches when you got here so I know they're not from daddy." Beth changes the subject as I begin picking at the food on my plate.

"Well we went into downtown Atlanta, looking for one of our group members and to get a bag of guns. Long story short these two guys come out of nowhere and start beating up on my friend for the bag of guns. So I jumped on his back, it worked for the most part. I mean it stopped him which was good but...the guy got shot and he dropped me and I gracefully cracked my head open on a dumpster." I shake my head, even in retrospect I probably couldn't have done anything more than I did; short of killing Felipe.

"You're lyin'." Maggie is the first to speak up.

"No I'm telling the truth, ask anyone who was there." I pause looking down at my plate, realizing that everyone who was there is somewhere else. "My friend Glenn said it was really awesome from what he could see. I mean he was on the ground you know...but he says I could have been a professional bull rider. I never went to college so I have that as a career to fall back on if the world ever rights itself."

Beth busts out laughing and then Hershel. Patricia follows suit even Jimmy joins in. Only Maggie is still skeptical, "ya sound like a pretty lucky girl. The only thing about luck is eventually you'll run out. What are ya gonna fall back on then?"

(Daryl's POV)

Tha bells come outta nowhere, ringin' again an' again.

"Which way?" Shane asks like I'm some kinda mind reader. It's almost impossible ta tell out in these woods.

"That way, I'm pretty sure." Rick points straight ahead.

We got everybody out here today 'ccept Dale an' T-Dog. More people we got out here lookin' for 'em better chance we gon' find 'em.

"If we hear the bells maybe the girls do too." Carol still ain't convinced that Sophia an' Chloe stayed separated. Everybody knows that so long as Chloe lives an' breathes she'd find her way back ta that lil girl.

"Somebody's ringing those bells, could be calling others." Glenn says.

"Or signalling that they found them." Andrea offers up.

"Or one a the girls could be ringin' 'em themselves. Come on."

We finally come ta a church a few miles up.

"This ain't it Rick," Shane shakes his head. "There's no bells, no steeple."

Maybe it ain't tha church with those damn bells but one a them might still be in there. It's walls an' a roof. We make a run for tha doors pushin' 'em open an' goin' in. There's three walkers sittin' in tha pews, makes me wonder how much those things really remember about who they were. Never seen 'em just sit like that before. Rick, Shane, an' I put 'em down 'fore tha bells sound again. I race out tha door, down tha steps, Glenn hot on my heels. Just a damn speaker. "Timer," I turn ta Carol while tha chinaman shuts it up. "It's on a timer."

"Chloe! Sophia!" Glenn yells out in pure frustration, runnin' both hands over his face.

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol tells us, takin' tha stairs quickly.

I smoke a couple cigs 'fore I finally get aroun' ta goin' in. Carol's sittin' next ta Lori on tha front pew, prayin' ta tha crucifix on tha wall.

"It was a sin for me to pray for Ed to be punished. For putting his hands on me and turning his eyes on his own daughter, whatever sickness was growing in his soul. Punish me however you want, but please have mercy on my girls."

"I ain't never believed in God." They both turn ta look at me at tha back a tha church. "Never had a reason to. But you do, your girls do. So ya don't think that he would bring somebody like that inta my life just ta take 'er away. He wouldn't do that would he?"

Carol leans her left elbow on tha side a tha wooden bench. "I'm not sure. I'd like to think that he wouldn't."

After a lil more time spent lickin' our wounds Rick sends us back ta search tha other side a tha creek bed. With him, Shane, an' Carl hangin' back in case Chloe or Sophia show up. We're about a mile from tha highway when we hear tha gun go off. Just one shot.

(Chloe's POV)

I'm helping clear the table when I hear it. The screams, I rush out onto the porch.

"Help me! Help, somebody please! My boy." There's a man running through the lawn, carrying something. A child with dark hair, a second man following behind him with Otis in tow.

"Who the hell is that?" Maggie asks, following my gaze as she joins me outside.

"My people." I break into a sprint, fighting against my bad ankle. "Rick! Rick!"

"Chloe?" He calls back, squinting against the setting sun.

I push myself faster, Maggie a few feet behind me. It's only then I see the blood. "Carl! What happened?"

"He was shot, we're lookin' for Hershel is he here?" Rick demands.

"He's inside." I nod, "Hershel! Hershel please hurry." I call, rushing back toward the front door.

"What on God's green earth is goin' on out here?" Hershel pushes the screen door open.

"Please my friend's son, he's been shot you have to help him." I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to save Carl, 'I'll protect your off spring with my life.' That's the last thing I said to Lori and Mom. I meant every word of it.

"Bring him in, bring him!" Hershel says without a second thought. "Maggie we need towels, warm water. Patricia let's get an IV started. Chloe I need you right here on the wound. Pressure,, lots of pressure we gotta slow that bleedin'." He directs us as Rick lies Carl on the bed.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Rick demands. Hershel ignores him working diligently over Carl's still body.

"I have a heart beat." Hershel announces removing the stethoscope from Carl's chest.

"Thank God." Shane sighs.

"How did this happen?" I ask, bearing down on Carl's wound.

"We were out lookin' for you and Sophia, Carl stopped ta look at a deer. The big guy shot...went straight through the deer." Shane says calmly.

"Sophia...what do you mean you were looking for Sophia?" I stammer, feeling the bile rising in my throat.

"She's not here?" Rick looks over at me.

"No she..." My heart drops into my stomach, "she was headed back toward the highway. I twisted my ankle I couldn't walk but she was going that way I saw her."

"Keep pressure on that wound darlin', we gotta focus if we're gonna save this boy." Hershel says, pulling me back to reality.

I feel a fresh batch of tears pour onto my cheeks, save Carl. We have to save Carl. Save Carl, save Sophia. Pressure, pressure on the wound. Blood, so much blood, too much blood.

"Here let me." Beth places her tiny hands over mine, pressing down so I can pull away. I stumble into the hallway barely able to keep myself upright. I can't breathe. I hear footsteps behind me. Rick, I realize when I turn to face him. His face emotionless covered in Carl's blood and I vomit onto the floor. Emptying the contents of my stomach and then just dry heaving because I can't stop.

"Daddy's gon' do what he can ta save that boy ya hear me." Maggie comes to kneel beside me. "Ya gotta pull it tagether, clean yourself up. We're gonna need your help."

"Ok," I nod. "Ok." I force myself to my feet heading toward the bathroom.

"My wife doesn't know, somebody's gotta tell Lori." Rick sobs.

"We have to get your boy stable first. He'll need blood transfusions, you're the only one who can do that." Maggie tells him.

I lock the door behind me, rinsing my mouth out and splashing cool water over my face. The water runs red as I try to scrub Carl's blood off me. Sophia is missing, Carl is laying in the room next to me shot. He could die, Sophia might already be dead.

"Dad!" Carl screams and I charge into the room. He's awake! He's alive. Hershel has a pair of medical pliers fishing around in Carl's wound. I can't do this. "Help me please." I turn to back out of the room.

"Get in here!" Hershel hollers at me, "hold him down."

"I'm sorry I-"

"You were just beggin' me to save this boy. I'm doin' my part now you have to do yours."

'Suck it up' that's what Daryl would say, that's what I'll do. I come over to the side of the bed opposite Shane. Taking Carl's arm and shoulder. "Carl, it's ok."

"Stop you're killing him!" Rick protests, Carl's screams echo off the walls.

"He needs blood." Hershel tells him calmly.

"You do it right now Rick." Shane calls forcefully. I turn my head to see Patricia positioning the needle in Rick's arm and suddenly Carl stills. He's silent.

"Carl?" Shane nudges him.

"No, oh no."

"He passed out." Hershel assures us, finally removing the bullet fragment. "One down, five to go."

"No," I shake my head, "no more, not like that, you can't. Please."

"I have to go deeper for all the rest. If he moves at all when I'm in there I'll sever an artery and he'll bleed to death."

"What are our options?" Shane asks, rubbing the back of his head.

"We can perform the surgery but only with the proper medical equipment." Hershel offers. So there is hope.

"All the hospitals aroun' here are tapped out, but we could try the high school, they set up a FEMA shelter there." Otis suggests, ringing his hands. I know he feels responsible and in a way he is but he's trying his damnedest to make it right.

"It's over run." Maggie interjects, pushing her hands into her pockets.

"How many?" Shane looks up at her.

"Fifty maybe more."

"Alright, I'll go get whatever we need. Make a list." Shane stands upright squaring his shoulders.

"What about Lori? She needs to be here." Rick says a second time.

"I'll go get her." Carl needs his mom now, maybe more than he's ever needed her. And I can't stay, not when he's like this.

"I'm going with you." Maggie says.

"Only two people can-"

"I'll ride you out and get Lori. You hang back with the others, you know where the farm is you can bring them here." She cuts me off.

"Thank you," I breathe a sigh of relief. I'm going to see Daryl, Glenn, and my Mom. Carl will have his Momma if he wakes up again and I can finally get some answers about where Sophia might be; maybe then my heart won't ache so bad.

(Daryl's POV)

We're still walking back ta tha highway when this girl shows up on a horse an' saves Andrea's sorry ass from a walker. If ya ask me it was her own damn fault for not payin' attention an' gettin' separated from tha group. When tha horse comes ta a stop I realize that I'm either hallucinatin' or tha luckiest sum bitch in tha world. 'Cause behind that dark haired girl is Chloe.

"Lori. You have to come now, Carl's been shot. He's alive but you have to go with Maggie." Chloe says as soon as we're in ear shot. Maybe I ain't day dreamin' this at all. What she's sayin' an' her clothes bein' all bloody like that is more like a nightmare. That's how I know it's real.

"Shot?" Lori takes a step forward.

"I'm sorry, Lori but everybody is doing everything they can." Chloe assures tha older woman.

"You're ok?" Lori gives her a quickly once over with her eyes.

"I'm good, I'm good." Chloe swings her leg over tha side a tha horse ready ta jump down but I grab her. Holdin' her ta me, tossin' my bow ta tha wayside.

"Thank God you're ok," she breathes inta my neck. "I needed you. I went all my life priding myself on the fact that I didn't need anyone but I do, I need you."

"Don't know what kinda day ya had, mine ain't been so great neither but we're together now. I'm gon' make it ok. All of it, I'm gon' find Sophia. Carl's gon' get better, you'll see." I kiss tha top a her head.

"Thank you," she pulls back ta look at me. "I love you."

"An' I love ya too. Ain't gon' go a day without sayin' it from now on." I hold her at arms length, half a me still thinkin' she's gon' disappear.

"Alright hand her over." Glenn interrupts an' I wanna punch 'em but I don't blame 'em for wantin' ta see her. They meet in tha middle, her arms goin' aroun' his waist. It's a different kinda hug than she gives me, different kinda love than she gives me.

"I'm so happy to see you." She smiles, I missed that.

"Dude you have no idea." He's smilin' too.

"Alright," Chloe laughs after a couple seconds, "that's enough."

Carol steps up ta her next, holdin' Chloe's face in her hands. "Baby girl, my sweet baby girl."

"Mommy I'm sorry." I wanna grab 'er 'gain. Tell her that none a this was her fault. Take tha pain away but I can't, she's just gotta go through it. "I'm sorry about Sophia. I tried...I tried."

"Of course you did sweetheart. Nobody blames you not for a second." Carol rocks her like a child. "We were just headed back to the interstate. It'll be dark soon so we figure will pick up looking for Sophia again in the morning." Carol tells her, runnin' her fingers down one a Chloe's pigtail braids. Nobody outta be that adorable an' fuckable all at tha same time.

"Ok." Chloe swallows hard. She takes a step forward, favorin' her right leg. At first I think I mighta imagined it but when she takes another step she's definitely limpin'.

"Woah, hey." Glenn grabs her, hoistin' her inta his arms.

"Glenn, I can walk." She argues.

"Here man I got this." I hold my arms out for her.

"Oh yes guys, feel free to just pass me around like a rag doll it does wonders for my self esteem." Chloe rolls them big brown eyes at me.

"Ain't no point arguin' I ain't lettin ya walk when you're hurt an' I got two perfectly workin' arms." She doesn't want ta fight me, she just rests her head on my shoulder. She's tired, all up in 'er feelins so I just shut up a while till she's ready ta say somethin'. She don't wanna tell me, she don't gotta. Tons a shit I don't wanna talk 'bout, can't talk 'bout. Like what happened with Merle, just ain't ready.

* * *

"Did you find anything?" Dale asks from up on top a tha RV as we hop over tha guard rail.

"Just this thing." I nod ta Chloe in my arms.

"My God." He gasps, an' for a second I think tha old fart might a had a heart attack.

"Yeah praise tha Lord an' all that fun shit, we got other problems now." I burst his bubble.

"Carl's been shot." Chloe adds.

"What do you mean shot?" Dale climbs down tha metal ladder.

"There was a hunting accident and, it's a long story but Shane went to get what he needs for Hershel to perform the surgery and save his life. There's a farm a few miles up, that's where I've been."

"Well are you alright?" Dale asks.

"Just a sprained ankle." Chloe assures him.

"We need to get to that farm." Dale begins, I can tell right away there's 'bout ta be a argument.

"I'm not leaving without Sophia. I won't." Carol speaks up 'fore Chloe even gets a chance. I set her gently back on 'er feet.

"Carol the group is split, we're scattered and weak."

"My Mom is right, we're staying. No if ands or buts." Chloe's pissed now, don't know how Dale could even think 'bout leavin'.

"If Sophia came back and we were gone that'd be awful." Andrea 'grees, maybe she finally got some sense after all.

"We'll go tomorrow, that'll give us time ta pitch a big sign. Leave a few supplies, we'll tell 'er ta wait here and we'll come back everyday ta see if she made it. In tha mean time we keep lookin'. I'll hold here tonight, stay with the RV." I volunteer.

"If the RV is staying then I'm staying." Dale says.

"Thank you, thank you both." Carol nods, takin' Chloe's hand.

"I'm in." Andrea says.

"Well If Chloe's staying-"

"Not you Glenn. You have to get T-Dog to that farm. He has a very serious blood infection. Without medical attention he'll die, no joke." Dale cuts Glenn off.

"If ya needed some drugs why didn't ya just tell me? I got my brother's stash." I go over ta tha bike, "We got some coke, ecstasy, won't be needin that just yet." Chloe smiles, pressin' a kiss ta my upper arm as I shift through tha bag. "Some kick ass pain killers an' doxycyline; not tha generic stuff neither," I toss tha bottle a antibiotics at T. "Merle got tha clap on occasion."

Chloe's lookin' at me now.

"Only Merle got tha clap, 'm clean so ya don't gotta look at me like your parts are about ta turn purple." I scoff at her. If she thought I was so dirty why was she screwin' aroun' with me ta begin with.

"No, nope." Glenn covers his ears. "I didn't hear it, I didn't see it. It didn't happen."

"Honey, that was an 'I'm glad you have something to help T-Dog' look, not an 'I think you gave me an STD' look. Not sure how I missed the mark on that one." Chloe holds her hands up in defeat.

"I knew that." I shrug, attemptin' ta play it off.

"Well that's enough about me and my 'parts'. I'm going to hide out until I can forget how embarrassing this was for me, Glenn, my poor mother, and anyone else who was permanently scarred by the image of Daryl inside me. Goodnight." Her cheeks are bright red an' so are tha tips a her ears as she scurries up inta tha RV.

"Goodnight Chloe." Andrea snickers.

"Sweet dreams baby." Carol waves.

"Night Chlo." Glenn calls after her.

"Poor kid." Dale chuckles.

"I'll go check on 'er." I take the steps up inta tha RV. "You good?"

"Yeah." She sittin' up on tha bed. Pickin' at one a tha frayed ends a tha blanket.

I kick off my boots an' lie my cross bow on tha floor, climbin' inta tha tiny bed with her. "Got ya somethin'." I roll aroun' a bit tryin ta find tha ring in my pocket. "Here we go." I hold tha rock out ta her.

She arches a brow at me.

"In a perfect world ya wanna be Chloe Dixon. I know this ain't a perfect world but I wanna make it perfect as I can for ya. I think you'd probably be tha best person whoever had that last name."

"You're wrong." She kisses me once on tha tip a my nose an' then my forehead. I never had somebody kiss me like that before. Nothin' sexual 'bout it just love, devotion, respect. "Do you have a ring?" She wonders.

"Mhm," I hum reachin' inta my pocket again fishin' out tha thick silver band.

"I Chloe take you Daryl, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for better or for worse so long as we both shall live." She slides tha ring onta my finger kissin' my knuckles when she's done. Just waitin' for me ta do somethin'. But everythin's happenin' so fast I lose my breath. Chloe don't fuck aroun' an' she don't take no prisoners. She takes what she wants. I wanted ta marry her, just didn't think it was gon' be right this second. Unfortunately way things are we might not get a tomorrow so if I want somethin' I gotta just go for it. I'm talkin' right here, right now.

I clear my throat. I ain't no reason ta be nervous, 's just Chloe. "I Daryl take you Chloe ta be my wife, in sickness an' in health. For richer or for poorer, 'till death do us part." She sucks in a breath, lettin' me slip tha weddin' band onta her finger. I don't think she thought I was gon' go through with it. She called my bluff an' I called hers neither a us folded an' now we're married.

"Did we just elope?"

"We just did somethin'." I grumble.

 **(So WTF just happened? I don't know. The ending wrote itself. Chloe was literally like ok this is happening and I'm sitting here like girl are you sure this is the best idea? But she was just like no it's happening. So were you guys surprised when Chloe woke up in the barn? If you took the summary literally when it says she got bit and woke up you probably saw this coming but if you thought the summary was figurative well...SUPRISE! In all seriousness though Chloe and Daryl just dove head first into this new phase in their relationship because they both crazy passionate and come on that was one hell of a reunion! Next chapter we'll see how they feel about what they did once they've had a chance to sleep on it.)**


	11. Playing with Fire

(Chloe's POV)

Carl's in and out, he's woken up a couple times. Asked for me, asked for Sophia, I guess when he first woke up Rick had told a little white lie about my baby sister's whereabouts. Explaining to him that she wasn't here...that she was still missing was like tearing my own heart out. Reliving it over and over again. He's sleeping now, his breathing slow and deep. Daryl's still out looking, he's the only one of us that Hershel couldn't convince to stay and rest after an injury. Glenn went into town with Maggie on a run to get more supplies. I rest my head on the bed aside of Carl, mindful of his wounds.

"It's been a long day. Another one," I laugh without humor tracing patterns onto the cover resting over Carl's tiny body. "Leaving the highway; leaving the place where Sophia could come back to was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I don't feel right about it, we left her a big sign and some food. Even those peanut butter crackers she likes so much, we managed to scrounge some up. Daryl says she'll turn up soon, I want him to be right. God I miss that little girl. He knows now...about what happened to me and how Otis and the people here saved my life. Now Otis is gone but he saved your life too, I only ever met him twice but he was good. He didn't deserve to die like that, nobody does." I pause, trying to think of something else to ramble about.

"Daryl and I got married last night, in the RV. You're the first person I've officially told, everyone else has seen the rings so they probably know but I haven't said it to anyone; not even mom. I don't know how he feels about what we did, he kind of clammed up after. I think I scared him, hell I scared myself but I just love him, really love him. Glenn almost died today, trying to pull a walker out of the well. The rope almost got away from us and then he was almost gone; just like that. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep going like this. I'm tired Carl, I'm trying to make a life for us here, trying to convince Hershel to let everyone stay. I want you and Sophia to have a life where you don't have to worry about food or shelter and just be happy." I let all the tears I've been holding in spill onto the duvet and then I feel Carl's hand in my hair. Soothing my aching soul.

(Daryl's POV)

It's a lil after dusk when I get back ta tha farm. There's somebody movin' aroun' in tha RV. Maybe Chloe, it's gettin' harder ta look at 'er every night she has ta cry herself ta sleep I hate myself a lil more. For not bein' good enough ta find Sophia. This is tha first time I've actually found anything close, her doll. In the cupboard of an abandoned house a few miles out. Didn't look like anyone had been there in a couple days, she musta moved on. I waited for a hour atleast but there wasn't nothin'. Coulda stayed there, waited tha night just ta be sure. But me not comin' back would just be givin' my Chloe another reason ta cry her heart out. I step up inta tha RV, Carol's sittin' at tha table, sewin' a patch onta on a her shirts.

"Looks different in here." I say after takin' a good look aroun'.

"I cleaned up." Carol replies without lookin' up from 'er work.

"Was startin' ta wonder if I was in tha right place." I chuckle, I never seen this place this clean tha, even all tha dishes are washed.

"I wanted it to be nice for her." She nods, "Chloe and I had a long talk...about everything that happened... Hershel thinks she's a living, breathing, miracle. He doesn't want her to tell the rest of the group, he thinks that they'll start treating her like a science experiment or even worse; like a walker."

"What do you think?" I cock my head ta tha side.

"I think we need to do whatever it takes to protect her. Things are tense enough right now without adding this into the mix."

"What does Chloe think?" I ask, fidgetin' under her gaze. I should know tha answer, she's my wife for fuck sake but I guess I was too hung up on everythin' else goin' on that I forgot ta find out.

"She wants to help everyone, she wants Hershel to start running tests on her as soon as possible. Her heart's in the right place but not everyone here is the same way."

"Ya mean Shane?" I offer.

"Mainly Shane yes."

"Ya think he'd try ta hurt 'er?"

"I think he'd see her as a threat. And who's to say what he wouldn't do to eliminate the threat." She shrugs, "even still...Hershel is a veterinarian, not a scientist. How much can he really do?"

"It'd be somethin'. Shouldn't we atleast let 'em try?"

"Don't hold your breath for a cure."

"I ain't." I scoff, ain't holdin' my breath for nothin'. "I got ya somethin'." I put tha beer bottle vase on tha counter across from 'er.

"A flower?" She half smiles.

"It's a Cherokee rose. Story is that when American soldiers were moving tha Indians off their land tha Cherokee mothers where cryin an grievin' so much because they were losin' all their little ones that the elders said a prayer. Tha next day this flower started to grow right where the mothers tears fell. I'm not fool enough ta think that there's any flowers bloomin' for my brother but I do believe that this one bloomed for your little girl." Maybe I'm just bullshitin', maybe I'll never find Sophia, an' maybe Chloe an' Hershel will never find a cure but for tha first time in my life I believe.

She smiles, wiping her tears.

"She's really gonna like it in here." I add before turnin' ta leave. Chloe an' me need ta have a long talk a our own. When I get ta tha farm house only a couple lights are on, everybody musta went ta bed already. Tha only sound is tha old floorboard creaking under my feet an' tha hushed laughter comin' from tha room Carl's stayin' in.

"Will you come see me again tomorrow?" Tha kid yawns an' Chloe ruffles his hair.

"Yeah." She nods, movin' toward tha door an' I back off like I wasn't just standing ' there ease droppin'. But she sees me an' smiles; real big.

"Good day?" I catch 'er by tha waist once she's in tha hallway with me.

"Could have been better, could have been worse. Started out normal enough, helped set up all the tents including ours which is a little ways out from camp so you're welcome." She winks, "then T and Dale found a walker in the well so we sent Glenn down to put a rope around it so we could pull it out without contaminating the water."

"I know you were thrilled about that plan." I smirk as she rolls them big brown eyes at me.

"He was almost all the way down when the metal pump thing we had the rope around broke off." Chloe chews at her bottom lip an' I wanna kiss 'er so damn bad that I gotta lean back against the wall ta stop myself.

"He alright?" I wonder, slidin' my hands inta my pockets.

"Yeah."

"You alright?"

"Just my hands." She holds them out ta me an' I turn 'em so that her palms are facin' up. They're pink an' red where tha rope got 'er, with a couple blisters. Without thinkin' I press my lips ta her skin lightly, an' she sighs. "T-Dog got the worst of it though, we're all ok. Then we went back to the highway, Sophia wasn't there."

"I didn't find er neither, but I did find this." I hold tha doll out to her.

"Oh," she takes it from me, clutchin' tha tiny cloth doll ta her chest.

"It was in this lil cupboard, looked like somebody was hold up in there for a while, couldn't have been more than this tall." I motion with my arm.

"She's really still out there."

"I know it now, for sure." I nod holdin' her gaze. "Before it was just a feelin' but now I got proof. She ain't been there in a couple days, by the looks of it she moved on. We'll find her, we got ourselves a trail now."

She don't say nothing just puts her arms aroun' me buryin' her face my neck. "I love you Daryl."

"I love ya more." That's tha only thing left in this world that I know ta be true.

(Chloe's POV)

He kisses me once; slowly and I can tell that's all he means to do but once our lips meet, all the stress from today, all the pain of losing Sophia, the relief of being back together comes flooding to the surface. His hands find their way into my hair, my own resting on the skin of his lower back just under his shirt.

"Let's get outta here, ya can show me that tent you were talkin' 'bout." His voice is rough, laced with need.

"Mhm." I hum against his lips as we stumble down the hallway and out the front door with our mouths still pressed together. We nearly tumble down the porch steps before Daryl's hands lock under my bottom lifting me up, my legs holding fast to his waist.

"Now ya gotta tell me where I'm goin' beautiful." He nudges my cheek with his nose to get my attention, my brain clouded with his sweet kisses.

"It's the tent all the way back, the little blue one." I breathe against his mouth.

"Mmm," he pulls away slightly to see behind me and I trail kisses over his neck, "ok baby, home sweet home."

I hop down off him to crawl through the tent door once the door is zipped up behind us Daryl's lips are at the back of my neck, his still clothed erection straining against me. I hear him working open his pants and I shiver. He peels my clothes off until I'm completely naked but his shirt and vest are still on. I turn to him so that my chest is pressed to the cool leather of his vest and I begin to push it over his shoulders. He watches me with guarded eyes. I begin unbuttoning his shirt with practiced fingers and his hands come up to rest on my forearms but he doesn't stop me. His jaw ticks uncomfortably and I press my lips to his, all the urgency from our heated kisses is long gone. His eyes are searching mine for something, something I hope he finds.

"Then why are you looking at me like that?" I smile.

"I was just...I'm still-" he draws in a breath before starting again. "Gettin' used ta all this, gettin' used ta tha way ya treat me, goin' ta bed with ya every night an knowin' you're gon' be there in tha mornin'. I realize that without it I'd be totally lost like I was when ya were gone...I can't ever do that again Chloe. I can't live; not without you. Thinkin' you were gone that, I'd never see you again an' then havin' ya back an gettin' married all in one night... I was starting to lose who I was becoming when I was with you; who I was becomin' because a ya, an' I'm afraid ta feel that way again. So I thought it would be easier if I just went back ta how I was. I just shut down, I just turned it off so if I ever lost ya again it wouldn't hurt so bad but I...can't keep ya out. All I can do is ask ya ta stay... please don't go."

"I'm gonna stay for as long as I can, I swear to you. I'd never leave you because I wanted to, never baby." I cup his face kissing him slowly until he's at ease again, finishing the buttons of his shirt before nudging him onto his back. He watches me with hooded eyes as I slide his pants and briefs down to his ankles then onto the ground. Running my fingers over his strong legs, I hear him chuckle.

"What tha hell are ya doin' down there girl? That shit tickles."

"Sorry," I laugh, "I really missed you."

"Hmmm," he hums contently, "go on then."

I continue my path over his delicious hip bones to the toned planes of his abdomen. Dipping my fingers between the muscled ridges of his chest, over the scarred lines there.

"Sweet girl," he says between gritted teeth. "Let me have ya, I'm dyin' here."

"Well we can't have that." I peck the corner of his mouth. "I've got plans for you."

"Yeah I got plans for you too beautiful." He smirks attempting to get me on my back beneath him.

"Just a second," I pout playful, "I promise you're gonna like this."

"Ya got 'bout two minutes." Daryl warns.

"I can work with that." I trail kisses down his neck over his chest and stomach to his erection. His cock twitches as I give a couple kitten licks before taking it into my mouth.

"Shit Chlo," his hands find my hair, his body strung tightly fighting the urge to thrust against my mouth. I suck him with vigor now, I've never had him in my mouth before. I wasn't sure how he'd respond if he'd like it or if he'd get self conscious like he sometimes does after our more intimate moments but he's letting me go to town. By the noises Daryl's making I can tell he's enjoying this just like I hoped he would, maybe he'll even let me do it again. He's gone down on me a handful of times but never gave me a chance to reciprocate and he's so good at it I didn't have the strength to argue with him. I'd just lay there like a boneless jellyfish as he made love to me until I came again. Oh Daryl Dixon the things you do to me.

"I love ya so fuckin' much, you're gonna make me cum baby. If ya don't want it in your mouth ya better-"

I cup his balls, rolling them softly in my hand until I feel him release with a loud string of profanity and occasional variations of my name. One of the best things left in this world is hearing Daryl speak jibberish and knowing that I'm the one making him do it. I swallow quickly, wiping my mouth in the back of my hand and move up so we're at eye level.

"You're gon' have ta give me a minute." He huffs throwing his arm over his eyes.

"I've got nothing but time." I rest my head on the pillow beside him.

"Ya know you've got a lil bit of a accent, not all tha time but just on certain words. Cute as hell but I always kinda wondered how that happened."

"My mom's from Ohio, she didn't move down here until she was nineteen and then she met Ed. When they had me they went back to Ohio so that she could be closer to her family. We didn't move back down here until Sophia was six. Mom was the one who taught me how to speak but every once in a while Ed would step in. Like when I say hell, I think that's when you hear it most." It's nice talking to him, to my husband. It's easy to forget sometimes that there's a world of things we don't know about each other.

"Yeah ya sound just like me when ya say it." Daryl pulls his arm back to look at me.

"Does it bother you that we're different?" I wonder, brushing softly at the hair around his face that's starting to grow out.

"Used to, in tha beginnin'. Hasn't bothered me for a long time until tha night before ya went missin', when we had that fight. I think I forgot for a while that we come from two different worlds but it ain't a bad thing. Ya taught me a lota things I never knew an' I'd like ta think I taught ya a thing or two." He kisses my forehead, his fingers dancing up my inner thigh. Spreading my slit with his thick fingers, circling my opening until I'm breathing heavily again before sliding it inside. Up to the knuckle and I gasp, grabbing his forearm reflexively. "Ya like that?"

"Mhm." I bite my lip.

"Ya got no idea how fuckin' sexy ya are. So warm an' wet on my finger so fuckin' tight." He adds a second finger, pumping slowly, savoring me. His thumb circling my clit. I feel his erection pressing against my outer thigh as he works me over. I wrap my fingers around the length of him. "No baby." He grabs my wrist lightly removing my hand and placing it back at my side. "This is just about you now. You've never let me make ya cum with just my fingers before, I've always wanted to. I love eatin' ya baby, ya know I do." He licks his lips. Fuck me I'm hopeless. "Ya always taste so sweet an' ya cum so hard on my tongue."

I whimper, melting farther against him. Daryl knows I'm a sucker for dirty talk.

"But only thing is, when you're squirmin' an' buckin' aroun' I don't get ta see your pretty face. An' I love tha look on your face when you cum." He nips at my earlobe until my eyes roll back in my head and my mouth hangs open. He picks up pace sending me into a frenzy, grinding against his hand. "That's it, open your eyes an' look at me."

I peel my eye lids open my eyes meeting his and he grins pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"There's my girl...come on Chloe, cum for me."

I do, hard; my legs trembling. My breath catching in my throat and then he's on top of me, replacing his hand with his thick member. My inner walls still pulsing as he fills me to the hilt, "fuck Daryl," I cry out. It's so intense that I want to tell him to stop but at the same time beg him to keep going.

"I know baby. You're fuckin' squeezin' my cock so tight." He grunts, his hips snapping against mine, laying kisses over every inch of my sensitive skin that he can reach until he finds my mouth. Our lips locking together in a well rehearsed dance and I'm his. He nudges my clit lightly and when I don't shy away he repeats the action until we're both teetering on the edge. I find my release a second time and I feel him quickly pull out, his left hand still tangled in my hair as he finds his own pleasure and cleans himself up. I feel him stroking the sweaty hair away from my face a moment later.

"You alright?" He chuckles breathlessly.

"Never better." I grin, still gasping for air.

"Alright then," he pecks my cheek gently, "good night." He rolls away from me.

I shift onto my side to wrap my arms around him so he's the little spoon. "Where do you think you're going?" I tease, weaving my legs around him so that there's no escaping.

"Nowhere, I'm stayin' right here." His hand joins mine wrapped over his waist lacing our fingers together. I kiss his shoulder, relishing in the fact that he's letting me hold him. Letting me so close to the scars that he hates so much without shying away. He's let me in, all the way. Not a moment later his soft snoring fills the tent and I smile. If only it could be like this all the time, just Daryl and me. I lose myself in the sound of his breathing until I fall asleep.

(Rick's POV)

"We've gotta have a serious talk about Chloe." Shane charges up to me, catching me off guard on my way back to Lori and I's tent.

"What about her?" I ask, pulling him off to the side.

"Member how I was sayin' there's more to that story than she's been lettin' on? Well I decided to do a lil investigatin' outside her tent tonight an' you're not gonna believe what I saw."

"You stood outside their tent? Do you have any idea what could have happened if one of them caught you? If anyone else saw you-"

"Man this ain't about that." He rubs the back of his head anxiously.

"Then what's it about?" I demand.

"Somethin' took a big ole bite outta her side an' it's healin' up Rick. We don't know what the hell is happenin' inside her. Sure she's fine tonight an' maybe tomorrow but what if she's just a tickin' time bomb."

"Chloe's done a lot for Carl, for all of us; Daryl too. If either of them thought she was going to be a danger to our group she'd leave."

"And what about goin' out a their way to help tha rest a us? If she's not gonna change then she's obviously got some kind of immunity. This is the kind of miracle we've been waitin' for from the get go. Why haven't either a them said anythin'?"

"We just got her back, I'm not gonna go pushin' for answers. I respect her, I respect both of them. You need to learn to, when the time is right she'll come to us. Until then mind your own business, you're playin' with fire." Shane spits at the ground before stormin' off. I trust Chloe's judgement, she's gone out of her way more than most people. She's helped save a lot of lives. But ta keep a secret like that from the group... she's playin' with fire too.


	12. Just Get Us There

(Chloe's POV)

I wake up to our empty make shift bed, Daryl's gone. I pull the blanket up over my breasts to cover myself as I stare up at the ceiling. We didn't bother putting on clothes on last night which was probably best considering how restless he was. Waking me up three times with his tossing and turning and then making love until he was sated enough to sleep. Each time I meant to ask him what he was dreaming about that had him so on edge but he distracted me before I had the chance. Not that I mind him fucking me but something about how he did it just didn't sit right. It was fast and rough then slow and tender, verging on desperation. Wanting to hold his hand over my mouth and pound me and then wanting me to ride him pinning his hands above his head and completely dominate the situation, begging me to tell him how much I loved him. Those three times were different from any of the other times before, I'm not sure what to think. The third and finally time he cried...while we were having sex. Asking me not to touch him at all and hold onto the pillow beneath my head, telling me that he was sorry, that he was a fuck up, all of the dark thoughts in his mind. Until I was crying too. "I still love you, I still want you." I repeated over and over again until he allowed me to hold him, clutching at his hair and back, his arms underneath my shoulders cradling me to him. Our chests pressed so tightly together that I could feel his heart pounding against my own. "I love you Daryl. You're wonderful and funny and smart and I want all of you, always. Even the parts that you hate, all the parts you don't like, I want them too. You don't have to hide anymore, I can make you happy. I can love you more than anyone else has ever loved you."

"You already do." He cried against my neck, "you already do."

Then when it was over we stayed like that for a long time. It didn't matter that he was too heavy or that I could barely breathe. I didn't matter that I was hotter than hell or that he finished inside me or that he stayed inside long after his erection was gone. All that mattered was Daryl, wanting to comfort him, and needing him to comfort me after unraveling each other. I don't want to get up, but I know I have to, I need to be out looking for Sophia. I need to find Daryl, need to make sure he's ok, so that I can be ok. I put on a set of clean clothes, a pink tank top and my favorite pair black jeans and leave the tent behind.

"Good morning baby, how'd you sleep?" Mom smiles when she spots me, she and Lori are hanging clothes on the line. They're about half way done with laundry, I must have really slept in.

"Is it still morning?" I change the subject with a smile.

"It's just past eleven." Lori informs me.

"I haven't slept in like that in months. Have you seen Daryl?" I ask trying to sound casual.

"He was headed out to look for Sophia, said somethin' to Rick about taking a horse. He might still be up near the stables." Lori offers with a shrugs.

"Thank you." I nod, taking off toward the horse stalls. Just in time to see him take off toward the tree line. "Daryl! Daryl!" He doesn't slow the horse down. "I know you hear me asshole! If I have to come after you it's gonna be so much worse." I call after him and with a slight shake of his head he's gone. God damn you Daryl Dixon. I trudge into the stable saddling up the horse that he left behind. His name is Kaiser, he's a little older than Nelly, the horse Daryl took off on. I doubt anyone would tell him to take her, she's gonna buck that idiot right off.

"Hey," Glenn says from behind me. He's trying to catch his breath like he ran all the way here, maybe he did.

"Hey Glennie what's up?" I turn to him.

"Where are you going?" He wonders cocking his head to the side.

"To look for Sophia but I need to figure out where Daryl went first."

"I'm game."

"Really?"

"Yeah I'm an expert at horseback riding, we rode into town yesterday so..." He scratches the back of his neck.

"You've got a secret." I grin.

"Dude you have no idea," he sighs, relieved that he can finally spill the beans.

"Tell me everything." I insist as I climb onto the saddle with him behind me.

"I'm not sure where to put my arms that won't be awkward." He waves his hands around like an idiot.

"Put your arms around my waist and stop being a pussy."

"Sir yes sir," he jests.

"So spill." I say after we cross the dirt path into the trees.

"I had sex with Maggie and Lori's pregnant."

"Fuck," I snort, "well first off congrats to you, second who's the father?"

"Thanks and I don't know, but we do know she was kanoddling with Shane the whole time she thought Rick was dead. What we don't know is if Lori has been kanoddling with Rick." Glenn reasons aloud.

"My money says yes, she has. Rick has been with us for eight weeks, she can't be very far along. She's so skinny she'd be showing in a millisecond. We need Maury." I sigh.

"Or Jerry Springer."

"Jerry, Jerry, Jerry." I chant softly and we laugh for a moment.

"Do you think they're dead?" Glenn asks, bringing us both back to reality.

"Yeah probably, who knows maybe the strippers defended Jerry." I smile peeking back at him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go for it."

"Are you on your period?" Weird line of questioning Glennie.

"No, why?" I answer anyway.

"Because all of you guys are acting weird and I read somewhere that when women are around each other enough their cycles line up and they all get super crazy hormonal at the same time."

"Back up for a second." I stop him, "how am I acting weird?"

"You married Daryl out of no where and don't say anything to anybody." He shrugs.

"In what way is making fast and furious decisions in the heat of the moment out of character for me?" I arch an eyebrow.

"Fair enough."

"Who else is acting weird?" I ask, taking in the peacefulness of this moment. Times like this are few and far between.

"Maggie. First she didn't speak to me, then she wanted to have sex with me, and now she's avoiding me."

"Do you know she's avoiding you or so you just think that? Sometimes girls-"

"I told her we still have eleven condoms left." He cuts me off.

"And what did she say?"

"She said, 'you see eleven condoms but I see eleven minutes of my life that I'm never getting back.'" He groans as if it's physically painful for him to repeat.

"She didn't," I gasp.

"She did."

"That bitch."

"Hey you could be talking about your future sister in law, watch your mouth." He says disapprovingly.

"Oh please." I scoff, "as if you're going to marry Maggie."

"You think she's out of my league?"

"No it's just...she's Maggie." Can't really explain why it's weird, it just is.

"You don't get to judge me. You bump uglies with Daryl." He shutters at the prospect as if Daryl is revolting.

"Daryl's hot." I shrug.

"Eww please spare me." Glenn fake gags.

"You have to admit, he's hot." I giggle.

"I hate to burst your bubble but I do not find Daryl attractive, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I like women."

"Maggie's hot. Like a certified hottie, I'm giving you props for tapping that now you have to give me props. Say that I'm banging a certified hottie." I insist, and it's nice. Being out here with my best friend, realizing that I haven't really picked on him much during the past few days.

"You're so sick." He knows he loves me.

"Come on I need to hear you say it Glennie." I cup my ear, waiting for his response.

"I'm not saying it." He gives a deep belly laugh.

"But you know in your heart it's true." I reach back and flick his leg.

"Stop." He swats my hand away. "Did you hear that?" He says quietly. There's a rustling in the bushes to our left. I draw my gun.

"Yeah." I whisper, slowing the horse to a stop. "Come out with your hands where I can see them."

"What are you doing dude? Let's just get out of here?" Glenn grasps my arm, hard.

"Hold on." I shut him up. "I know you're in there. Show yourself now or I'll shoot."

"It's me." The voice comes from behind the bushes. "It's me."

It takes a second for my brain to comprehend what I'm seeing, Sophia. Her face white as a sheet, the bottom part of her left arm a mangled mess of chewed flesh. My ears ring and bile rises in my throat. I'm vaguely aware of Glenn behind me saying something as he jumps to the ground and takes her into his arms. She's bit. "Sophia." I hop down off the horse. "When did this happen?"

"Just now, I was fighting it off but it got my arm. Now I'm gonna die." She sniffles.

"Baby look at me, you're not going to die I swear to you. I'm gonna fix this right now. There's still time and I'm going to do whatever it takes." I draw my knife from my sheath. "Glenn I need your belt."

"Chloe what are you-" Glenn stammers removing his belt with shaky hands.

"I'm gonna save her life Glenn, we're going to save her life." I say calmly as the reality of what I'm about to do sets in.

He nods, swallowing hard. "What do you need me to do?"

I take the belt from him securing it tightly around her upper arm. "Hold her down."

"What?" She begins to protest.

"I don't want you to be scared. I'm gonna take care of you and I need you to trust me." I smooth her hair down trying to calm my breathing.

"Ok." She looks down at what I'm doing.

"Alright you just keep your eyes on Glenn, ok? Look right at him."

"Ok." She starts to cry in earnest now and my heart breaks for her.

"Shhh." I soothe her, "you're gonna bite down on this." I place the end of the belt into her mouth. "I'm gonna be as quick as I can. One, two, three." I take a deep breath, cutting into the fresh of her arm and she cries out but I can't stop. I press down harder, sawing through the muscle and bone until her arm is severed a few inches from the elbow. I toss the inflected limb away from me. There's so much blood, without thinking I remove my tank top pressing it to the stump. She's unconscious now, her lips tinted blue. But someone is still screaming I want to tell them to shut up but I can't find my voice until I realize the screaming is my own. I force myself to be silent, dragging her body up onto the horse, cradling her between Glenn and I.

"She's losing too much blood." Glenn says as it drips down over the saddle.

"Just get us there Glenn!" I don't mean to yell at him but I think I'm entitled to a mini freak out after hacking off one of my baby sister's limbs. We take the horse straight up to the front porch. Glenn gets down first, holding his arms out for Sophia. I hand her over against my will, knowing I can't get down if I'm holding her but letting her go for even a second is unbearable. Mom; that is my only coherent thought as Hershel and Patricia rush into the room. Setting up IV's and asking for Sophia's blood type but I can't focus. "Mom." I repeat aloud, "I need my mom."

"Glenn went to get your mother sweetheart but I need you to answer me. What is Sophia's blood type? Do you know?" Hershel says calmly.

"It's the same as mine." I mutter sinking down into the arm chair on the opposite side of the bed.

"What about your mother? Is it the same as your mother?"

"No."

"We need that blood now, we can't wait." Hershel shakes his head as he works over Sophia's still body.

"Is that safe? Is it ok?" I demand as Patricia preps the needle.

"Without it she will die, that much I know for certain."

"Try," I hold my arm out to Patricia, "we have to try."

"Make a fist." Patricia nods, patting the vein along the crease of my elbow until it's more acessible before putting the needle in.

"Is Daryl here?" I ask once everything has calmed down enough for me to have a rational thought.

"I haven't seen him since this morning, both of my horses were missin' so I assume he ran off with nervous Nelly."

"I assumed you knew about that." I fight the urge to roll my eyes at Daryl's actions.

"No I did not." Maybe he'd be more upset if my kid sister wasn't knocking on deaths door.

"Is she going to be ok?" I breathe.

"We're going to coterize the wound and then we'll see exactly what we're up against. So long as you caught the infection before it spread then this amputation went well. This has a good chance of healing up nicely, once we get some more blood in her I see absolutely no reason that she wouldn't survive this."

"What about the pain? Do we still have the medication from Daryl's bag?" I bite anxiously at my thumbnail.

"We have enough to last until our next run to the pharmacy." Hershel assures me.

"I just keep thinking...what if she's like me. What if I cut off her arm for no reason? What if I ruined her life?"

"You couldn't know for sure she wouldn't turn. You made the best choice with the information you had."

"Did I?" My voice cracks as I allow myself to feel the magnitude of my choices.

"Sophia?" Mom throws a hand over her mouth when she sees the mess I've created. "Oh sweet baby." She rushes over to the side of the bed I'm on. Oposite of Hershel and Sophia's missing arm. "What happened?"

"I...she was- and I just-" I stutter unable to put into words what I've done.

"She was bit, her arm was all chewed up by one of those things. Chloe...took it off. She saved her life." Glenn finishes my broken statement.

"You did this?" Mom's eyes fall on me now.

I nod.

"Oh Chloe." She sobs.

"I'm sorry Mommy." I hang my head, letting the tears spill into my lap.

She takes my face between her hands, thumbing away my tears with fierce determination. "You're resourceful and smart and you thought on your feet. You are so incredibly strong because...I would not have been able to do what you did. Just like you told me that I have to be strong or I will die, that Sophia will die. If it weren't for you she would have died, she would have died when all those walkers found you after the highway. You laid down your life so that she had a chance. You did that not because it was easy but because that's who you are. Saving people, protecting people, that's who you are and that is what you do. I'm thankful for what you did today, Sophia will be too. You'll see."

"I don't think I can do it anymore, I don't want to anymore." I shake my head at her. "All I want is to do laundry and help around the house. I don't want to be play with anyone's life. I just can't."

"You're entitled to a break, after all that's happened you are." Mom nods at me, moving to take my hand in hers with Sophia's remaining hand in the other.

"I just don't want anyone else to die, I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"Baby I don't see a way around that." She whispers, moving to brush her fingers through Sophia's matted hair.

(Daryl's POV)

After tumblin' down tha side a tha cliff I managed to pull my sorry ass half way ta the top before fallin' right onto my ass again. I just lay there for a minute, content ta spend the night if my head keeps throbbin' this bad.

"Hey son. Wake up." Somebody says from up above me an' I force my eyelids open with a groan.

"Merle?" I blink a couple times ta see if he's real but when I look up again he's still there.

"What tha hell are ya doin' out here boy?"

"They lost their lil girl." I croak out.

"You're into lil girls now?" He chuckles, "Can't say I'm suprised, that uppity lil bitch you're bangin' ain't even of age yet."

"She's twenty." I shoot back, it ain't somthin, me an' Chloe talk 'bout often. Don't matter ta her, don't matter ta me.

"Cuttin' it close. But who am I kiddin' I'd love to stretch out her out real good."

"Shut up, she ain't like that." I try ta contain the urge ta punch him.

"You really think she's gonna stick around once she finds out who you really are? How fucked up ya are from your daddy beatin' up on ya, think she'll still want ya ringin' her bell then?" He's so fuckin' smug 'bout it too, so sure 'bout things he don't know shit 'bout.

"She knows an' she don't care. She knows an' she still loves me." I tell him, even though I don't really give a damn 'bout what he believes.

"She sure didn't have a lot of love for ole Merle. She was probably singin' hallelujah when I didn't come home."

"She helped me look for you bro, but you weren't there." I struggle to keep my eyes focused on him when all I wanna do it close 'em.

"You're not lookin' for me anymore are ya? Now that ya got tha good life, buried balls deep in your playboy bunny every night, playin' house, and bein' errand boy ta a bunch a pansies. If you were a good brother you'd march straight inta that camp and put a bullet in Rick's head for me."

"Rick's done alright by me."

"Eventually they're gonna scrape you off tha soles a their shoes like you're nothin' more than a piece a dog shit; then you'll see. Nobody loves ya but me baby brother, an' nobody ever will. Now get up before I have ta kick your teeth in." He gives my leg a couple tugs.

When I look down at my foot it ain't Merle roughin' me up, it's a walker. I grab my bow but there ain't no arrows 'ccept tha one in my side. I pull it out. Hurts like a bitch but I pull back on my bow string an' let her fly right inta the geek's brain. Musta hit my head harder than I thought if I'm seein' shit. I gotta get home, it'll be dark soon an' Chloe'll start worryin'. I feel like shit for last night an' then just leavin' her like that...she was callin' for me an' I just pussied out. Can't just pussy out no more, not on her. I grab the squirrel I caught from the back a my belt an' gut the son of a bitch. Raw squirrel never tasted so good. Now that I pulled the damn arrow out I can finally bind this wound, an' with a lil inspiration I can drag my sorry ass up these rocks. I use my knife ta cut tha ears offa these dumb dead bastards and string 'em up with a shoe lace aroun' my neck. When I finally get ta the top Merle is gone after tauntin' me all the way up.

"Yeah you better run!" I call out into the empty forest. My side is hurtin' somethin' fierce, but I press on. I got somewhere ta be.

(Andrea's POV)

Having Sophia back is a relief to everyone. No more running around the woods with pointy sticks. If she survives this everything will be back to normal, well as normal as it can be. Today was a good day. I cross my legs in the beach chair ontop of the RV, the shot gun resting in my lap. I draw the binoculars up from around my neck to do a routine sweep of the area ahead, but there's nothing routine about what I see just beyond the trees approaching camp. "Walker!" I call out. "Walker."

"Hang on we got this." Shane says, grabbing his ax.

"Shane wait, Hershel says he wants to deal with walkers." Rick stops him.

"What for? We can handle this." Shane takes off toward the walker, Rick and Glenn chasing after him with weapons of their own.

I look out at the walker through the target lense of my rifle, "I think I can nail it from here."

"Andrea don't." Dale protests coming to stand on the ladder to my left, hooking his arm through one of the rungs to stabelize himself.

"I can do it." I move onto my stomach to get a better shot. I hold it in my sights for a moment before pulling the trigger, it goes down and I smile. I did it.

"No, No! What did you do?" Rick cries out, I climb down off the RV, lifting the binoculars again. Without the glare of the setting sun I can see exactly what I've shot. It's Daryl.

(Chloe's POV)

Hershel managed to stop Sophia's bleeding and she's stable for now. But she still hasn't opened her eyes. They set up the IV so that it drips the dissolved pain meds directly into her blood stream, so when she does come to it'll be bearable. I wonder how much she'll remember, hopefully not much.

"Did you hear that?" My head shoots up off the bed where its been resting since I gave the second round of blood.

"Go see what's going on. I'll stay with Sophie incase she wakes up." Mom offers.

"I'll just be a minute," I nod. Making my way out of the room onto the porch just in time to see Rick and Shane dragging Daryl's unconscious body across the yard. "What the hell is this?"

"I'm so sorry I didn't realize it was Daryl, we all thought it was a walker. The bullet just grazed him." Andrea tells me as they come up the steps and into the house.

"You shot my husband?!"

"Spare me the theatrics, just let Hershel make sure he's alright." She says in exasperation, like it's no big deal.

"The theatrics?" I scoff. "You're a real fucking bitch you know that? I should just punch you and bust open your stitches like you did to me. Oh that's right you don't have any, maybe I should give you some."

"Chloe, enough. You know that won't do a damn thing to help him." Maggie cuts in.

"We will square this." I spit at Andrea, trudging into the house. I know she didn't mean to, I know she was just trying to protect camp, and I know it wasn't part of her personal vendetta against me. But God help me after the day I've had I could ring her neck and not lose a wink of sleep. Daryl groans as they lower him onto the bed in the spare room across from where Sophia's staying.

"I didn't think we'd be going through the medical supplies this quickly." Hershel remarks as he examines Daryl.

"No biggie, tomorrow I'll go to town and get more." Glenn puts a hand on my shoulder and I place my own hand over his giving it a squeeze. Maggie watches us with a puzzled expression as if she's not quite sure she likes our close proximity. Maybe she really does like him.

"Good news is nothing appears to be broken, with a couple stitches he'll be right as rain." Hershel delivers the good news after a moment.

"Thank you," I smile tiredly at him.

"Chloe?" Daryl grumbles at the sound of my voice.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" I ask, leaning against the bedside.

"Shitty," he winces, "so please don't yell at me for earlier."

"You think this is a get out of jail free card? Just because you could have died." I click my tongue at him in mock disappointment.

"Seems like a pretty good reason to me." He grins from ear to ear, opening one eye to see my reaction. I shake my head with a smirk, how can keep a straight face when he's looking at me like that?

"My god Hershel work quickly, he's smiling. Something's definately wrong." Glenn teases.

"I smile all tha time when I got a reason to, which just don't happen much aroun' you jackasses." Daryl says between gritted teeth as Hershel cleans the wound on his side.

"False alarm right?" Maggie chimes in, "he seems just fine to me."

"Do you happen to know what happened to my horse?" Hershel changes the subject as he presses the needle through one side of Daryl's skin and out the other.

"The one that threw me? If it's smart it left the country." I can't help but snicker.

"We call that one Nelly; as in nervous Nelly. I could have told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask." Hershel replies, washing up his hands in the water basin.

"Yeah I'll remember that for next time." Daryl winces, looking down at his freshly bandaged side.

"There won't be a next time." I say softly, stroking the hair near his face mindful of his stitches there as well.

"What do ya mean?" He catches my hand, pressing his lips to my palm.

"Glenn and I found Sophia this morning."

"Somethin' wrong?" He knows, he knows me.

"She was bit." I tell him.

"She got the fever?" His eyebrows pull together in concern.

"No... Maybe she wouldn't have."

"You put her down..." He looks away from me, "I'm real sorry baby."

"It was her arm. I cut it off." I correct him and his eyes search my face.

"I shoulda been there. I coulda helped ya." He laces his fingers through mine.

"I found her because I went looking for you. If we were together Sophia would be dead and we'd both be laid up in this bed. It went the way it had to, the way it was always going to." I brush my thumb over his rough knuckles.

"You alright?" He rolls himself closer to me.

"I will be. We all will." I swallow hard.

"I was thinkin while I was out there...I want it." He says after a moment of silence.

"What?" I wonder.

"What ya were talkin' about tha night before you went missin'. If ya think that Hershel runnin' tests on you will help find a cure...baby I think you should. I want the big house, I want a handful a pretty babies that look like ya, hell I even want one a them yappy dogs I hated when I was growin' up."

"What changed your mind?" I smile at him, my eyes welling with tears.

"You. It always has been you, it was always gonna be you. What we have is real. I realize that a lil more everyday and I didn't at first. I used ta think you'd find somebody better and move on if the world ever put itself back together but I was stupid. I was selfish and I get it now. Ya ain't goin' nowhere 'cause ya don't wanna. Ya still love me an' you still want me no matter how bad things are, believe me that message was received loud and clear. Nobody has ever loved me the way that you love me and nobody else ever will. Ya saw me; saw the cracks in the foundation a who I was and insteada just puttin' a bandaid over it ya tore me down. Ya dug to the core a who I was and saw what I was tryin' ta be, what I wanted ta be an' then ya built me up, kept me standin' till I could do it on my own. I will never be able ta thank you enough for that."

I climb into bed with him on his good side, kissing him ten times over. "Remember how you were trying to make the world perfect for me?"

"Mhm." He hums contently, putting his arms around me as best he can without being uncomfortable.

"You don't have to try anymore." I sigh.

"Why not?" He buries his lips in my hair.

"The world is already perfect, because to me you are the world." I mutter into the quiet room.

"That's beautiful Cokes." He yawns, pulling the blanket up over us both.

"Yeah it is." All things considered today was a good day. Sophia's alive, she's here with us, Carl is almost fully healed, and Daryl is alright. Soon Lori and Rick will have another kid to keep us all company. Life as we knew it may be over for now but my heart has never been more full.

(A/N: So are you guys suprised that they found Sophia? I mean that was kind of always in my plot from the beginning and so was her losing an arm but originally it wasn't going to be until after the farm was over run. Anyway Daryl and Chloe at the end was like so fluffy and sweet I almost got a cavity omg I love when they're happy. Of course we know all good things must come to an end so there's still major storms brewing ahead. Next chapter is going to show the after math of Sophia losing her arm and the other drama unfolding on the farm. Also Chloe and Hershel are going to start using her blood to look for a cure. In the chapter after next inspired by the episode entitled 'pretty much dead already' a main character is going to be shot. So any theories about who and why please leave a review I'd love to see what you guys think about the story and where it's going and I'd love to see if anyone will guess it right. Thanks for the favs and follows! You guys keep me motivated to write! See you next chapter!)


	13. Earning Your Keep

(A/N: Hey guys! Only a little over a month until the season seven premiere I'm so excited guys like who did Negan kill?! Anyway this chapter does deal with some difficult topics including sexual abuse, mentions of domestic violence, and mentions of attempted rape so yeah shits about to get real...again. We also get a look at what Sophia was doing while separated from the group. Let me know what you think in the reviews. Enjoy.)

(Daryl's POV)

I wake up rubbing my eyes, realizin' how bad I gotta piss. I sit up with a groan, my side is killin me an' my head ain't much better. I pop a couple pain pills 'fore draggin' myself ta tha bathroom. Chloe ain't there neither, maybe she went back out ta our tent. I'm carryin' my sorry ass ta bed when I hear it, tha muffled cryin' from tha room across tha hall. Sophia must be awake, sounds like her arm is hurtin'. I push tha door open slowly an' realize it ain't Sophia cryin'. She's still sleepin', Chloe's head is layin' on tha edge a tha bed, her shoulders shakin' with her tears. I take a step closer, passin' my hand over her hair, "come back ta bed baby."

"I can't sleep." She sits up, wipin' her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

"Ya can try, it's tha middle a tha night."

"I don't wanna leave her."

"Mkay," I move over ta the recliner in the corner. Pressin' it back so that my legs are up. "Come 'ere." I pat my lap and she comes ta curl up on me. Her head against my chest and her legs hangin' over the arm a the chair. One a my hands restin' on her outer thigh, tha other buried deep in her blonde hair, rubbin' circles inta her scalp.

"What are you thinking? I can't practically hear the wheels turning in your head." She says after a minute.

"The other night... when I was being rough with ya...you know I woulda stopped if ya asked me too right?" Did I force myself on her? Was she afraid ta say anythin'? Was she afraid a me?

"Of course." She nods.

"Why didn't you?" I wonder.

"Because you needed me, you needed that to make things ok. So you could have peace."

"Ya didn't have to."

"I wanted to. You can always come to me, I won't judge you, I won't try to shrink your head. I'll just be there for you until you're ready to talk."

"But ya know I'd never put my hands on ya... I wouldn't- I know your dad used ta-"

"You're nothing like my dad." She cuts me off.

"I just keep thinkin'-" I begin again.

"Well don't, it's pointless."

"Can we talk 'bout this?"

"I'd rather we didn't."

"Why? You're all too eager ta talk 'bout me an' my problems but when it comes ta puttin' in tha hard work on yourself that's off limits; why?"

"Daryl-"

"I'm your husband now, not just some guy you're fuckin'." She's gonna tell me, we've been avoiding it all this time.

"Don't. Do not say shit like that to me. I know what you are to me. If you think I'd let anyone else do half the shit I let you get away with then you're mistaken."

"What are ya so damn afraid of?"

"I love you so I'm asking you to please let it go."

"Lovin' each other doesn't fix everythin'."

"Ok fine, you wanna talk so damn bad why don't you tell me about your nightmares honey." She sneers tha last word at me.

"I dreamed that we had a house. A rundown little shithole like tha one I grew up in. Ya came outta tha bedroom, I was sleepin' on tha couch, you were high outta your mind. I got up, started smokin' ya told me ta put it out but I didn't, I took another drag. You grabbed tha cigarette from my hand and snubbed it out...on my arm. Then ya started shootin' up, told me ta go get some lunch. I said I didn't have any money an' ya hit me. Said I was a piece a shit an' that if I didn't start providin' for ya that we wouldn't be able ta keep tha baby. I laid inta ya 'bout stoppin' tha drugs while you're pregnant but you just didn't care. Didn't give a damn 'bout me, didn't give a damn 'bout our kid just your fuckin' meth an' pills. There it is, all out on tha table that's what I'm afraid of, tha thought a it drives me insane but this ain't about me this is about what's eatin' you." Why is she so afraid ta come ta me when she's upset? If she's not gonna let anybody else be there for her she has ta at least let me.

"When I was in high school my aunt Tess came down to visit, we were really close when I was younger so we went out to dinner. Just us girls...I let it slip; something about my dad touching me. Of course she went through the roof, drove straight back to my house, and confronted my dad who naturally denied all of it. Nothing even happened till she left three days later. It was probably the second week of school and Sophia had open house that night, you know where parents can go to see where the kids classes are. Anyway Ed stayed home of course because that wasn't his thing, he started drinking instead. I was home studying because I had this teacher who was a royal bitch who insisted on pop quizzing us on every chapter of Lord of the Flies. As soon as the car pulled away he was in my room. He said that I was a bad girl and that I needed to be punished."

Jesus. My skin is crawlin' but I want her ta keep goin'. I need ta know.

"He made me take off my pants and lay across his lap...he started to get hard. He hit me, and hit me until I didn't care if he stopped anymore. When it was over he made me call my aunt and apologize for 'lying' to her. Had me say I did it for attention, made me feel so stupid for even trying. That was the first and last time I ever asked anyone for help... So when you compare yourself to him, even a little, it makes me sick. You would never touch me unless I wanted you to. You're compassionate and thoughtful and good. You're so good Daryl, and it breaks my heart that anyone ever told you differently. Remember at the cdc when I told you we had to put that stuff away?"

"Mhm." I nod.

"I don't think we can. It worked for a while but it's coming back now. You know that I'd never be how I was in your nightmare and I know that I can trust you but that shit is just engrained into us. It won't ever go away."

"There's a way, we'll find it; we will. For now we just have ta go through tha hard shit, face it everyday an' push forward until one day...we'll just change."

"I love you so much," she breathes, "I need you so much." Oh baby, I love you more.

"I'm here whenever, however much ya need me. I'm aroun'."

"Please say it." Chloe whispers, pickin' nervously at tha ring on my finger.

"What?" I grumble, feelin' my eyelids gettin' heavy.

"That you still love me." She replies, I can't help tha chuckle that escapes me. Of course I still love 'er. "You didn't say it back."

"I love ya, I always have an' I always will. Ya gotta know that by now." I tip her head back an' brush my lips over her's. She's so soft, so sweet, so beautiful. How could anybody not love you?

(Sophia's POV)

"Ya know it's about time you start earning your keep kid. We've been out here for days lookin' for your people, givin' you food, water, a place to stay; but you haven't really helped us out a whole lot in return." Tim, one of the older guys from the group that took me in says.

"I've been helping with laundry and cooking-"

"Now I'm not talkin' about that sweetheart I'm talkin' about other things that a woman can do for a man." He cuts me off, shifting the gun in his holster.

"I don't..." What's he talking about? Cleaning?

"I'll teach you." He moves for my pants.

"Wait I'm not...I can't- I don't want you to-"

"Shhh, it only hurts the first time."

"Please." No, no, no.

He wrestles me to the ground tugging off my pants and his. Pinning me down and I scream as loud as I can, praying for somebody, anybody to help me. No one comes; but something does. He jumps away from me, leaving me to fend for myself; it's still better then what was about to happen. I run as fast as I can but one is following me. I should have grabbed his gun, or at least his knife but I wasn't thinking about anything but getting far away from him, and them. I peek behind me for just a second and lose my balance falling onto my back. It takes a bite out of my arm, it's the worst pain I've ever felt until the next bite and then it's just chewing on me. I don't know how or why but in that moment I want to live ten times more than I ever have. I reach for the rock beside me, getting a good grip before slamming it against the walkers head until it stops moving. I crawl over, hiding behind the nearest bush trying to catch my breath.

"Come out with your hands where I can see them." A voice, a woman, here to take me back to those people. A second voice joins the woman's and I peer over the leaves when she speaks again. It's Glenn; it's Chloe.

"It's me," I reply once I find my voice, "it's me."

Everything is happening so fast, Glenn holding me down, Chloe working over me. Pain like I've never felt before and then everything going black. My eyes fly open, it was just a dream, all a dream. Daryl is sound asleep in the reclining chair with Chloe in his lap. I take a deep breath, there's a glass of water on the bedside table, I reach for it but my left hand is gone. All the way up to the elbow where the stump is wrapped up in white gauze. That's what Chloe meant when she told Glenn she was going to save my life, she cut my arm off. I know it's not rational, I know it was the only way, I know I can survive without it. I lean back against the pillow and close my eyes trying to calm myself but I can't stop my mind from wandering back to my arm. I peel back the bandages just to take a peek, I don't mean to but I scream. I scream louder than I ever have.

"What is it? What's tha matter with her?" Daryl grumbles as Chloe struggles out of his arms and onto the floor landing on her butt with an unceremonious thud.

"I don't know! Get Hershel, get my mom. Please Daryl, hurry." She barely has time to finish the statement before he's out the door. "Sophia, look at me baby. Are you in pain? What's the matter?"

"He was going to... He wasn't going to stop and he took his pants off and I couldn't do anything. They came and they got him but there's more of them. My arm-"

"Slow down you're not making since. More of them? You mean walkers? Who are they honey? Focus." Chloe catches my face between her hands, forcing me to hold her gaze.

"The man who tried to... He was trying to force himself on me. I screamed then the walkers came and he left me there-"

"How many more? Do they have a camp? Tell me everything." She demands.

"It doesn't matter." I shake my head.

"It does, it does matter. Tell me what you know so I can handle this."

"What are you gonna do?" I ask.

"I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else. Nobody gets to put their hands on you like that and live." She says though gritted teeth.

"You're not a killer." I gape at her.

"I'm a lot of things I didn't use to be." She shrugs.

"There's a group of them; about thirty, they're looking for a place. You can't kill thirty armed men by yourself."

"What's going on? Daryl said it was an emergency." An older gray white haired man appears in the doorway drawing Chloe's attention away from me.

"She woke up screaming, I thought she might be in pain. I'm sorry I panicked everyone." She apologizes stepping away from my bed.

"It's no trouble, after all we haven't had a chance to officially meet." The man, who I assume to be Hershel, smiles. "Since you're awake now I'll have a look at ya, just to make sure that arm is healin' up how it's supposed to."

"Sounds like a plan." Chloe answers for me as Mom comes into the room.

"Wait." I call out for Chloe as she attempts to slip out the door.

"I'll be back in a little while, I promise." She tells me with a nod.

"Stop it! Just stop. Your whole life you've always done whatever it takes to keep me safe. I'm safe now, it's time for you to stop. You can't protect me from every bee sting and paper cut, you have to let me feel it." If I could I'd jump right out of this bed and restrain her myself I would. I don't want her to get hurt because of me.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm tired of being your God damned excuse for everything. From the day I was born I was a either the reason you did or the reason you didn't. You didn't get to be a kid because you were too busy trying to raise one but that wasn't my fault! I never asked you to do that."

"I just wanted you to have everything I never did...I'm sorry if I loved you too much. I didn't realize that was wrong." She turns quickly away from me but I don't miss the tear that escapes her.

"That's not what I meant-" But she's just gone.

(Rick's POV)

We're loadin' up the cars to drive a couple miles out for gun trainin'. It would have come in handy when we were lookin' for Sophia if we had more people armed and able ta hit a target.

"Rick, Shane, you got a minute?" Chloe says, trottin' down from tha farm house.

"Course." I stuff my riffle into the waistband of my jeans.

"What can we do ya for?" Shane chimes in, rubbin' at tha back of his head.

"When Sophia was out there she ran into a group, 30 men. They're armed and dangerous. From where we found her they couldn't be more than 10 miles from here, maybe even closer by now." She keeps her voice to a whisper as Carl as the others are only a few feet away.

"If they took her in-"

"One of the men...he tried to rape her." Chloe cuts me off.

"Jesus." Shane mutters under his breath.

"We need to find these people and we need to kill them. Before they come for us." Chloe insists, her eyes dark and focused.

"We need ta eliminate the threat. Once Daryl's feelin' up ta it we'll see if he can pick us up a trail." Shane nods, this could go south. It will very quickly if we go in there without our eyes open.

"Before we can do any of that our people need the gun training we've been promisin'. There's safety in numbers the more people we have able to defend themselves, to defend our group, the better our chances will be. Believe me I want to find these people too, give them what they deserve; but we have to have a plan." I reason.

"You're right... My head just isn't on straight right now." She worries at her bottom lip.

"A lot has happened." I say by way of explaination.

"Yeah a lot has." She stares me down for a long moment and I feel it in the air between us, she knows I know. "There's a reason for the things I do Rick. I'm trying to build something here."

"I trust ya."

"I just need a little more time."

"Take it." I'm keeping secrets too, longer than she has. Since the CDC, what Jenner told me. That we're all infected.

She nods, "thank you."

"For what it's worth I think you should send your mom down for gun trainin'. If she's as good a shot as you it might be worth her while."

"Now's not really the best time." Chloe replies.

"If ya wanna tag along, we'll need plenty a hands ta go aroun'." Shane suggests, "maybe it'll help get your mind off things."

"Count me in. I'm just gonna check in on Daryl, then I'm good to go." She starts walkin' back toward her tent.

"Be quick, we ain't got all day." Shane calls after her.

She turns slightly to roll her eyes at him.

"What the hell are you doin' man? That was our chance to get some answers."

"She all but admitted what we already know. She's going to tell us the details soon."

"I think she wants to tell us so what's stoppin' her do ya reckon?" He arches a brow.

"You think Daryl?" I know he does.

"Listen he's alright by me, that's his old lady; course he wants to protect her but these are our people, sooner or later he's just gonna have to trust-"

"Give it a day or two."

"One day, then I'm gettin' answers." Shane climbs up into the drivers seat of the SUV.

This is gonna go down, one way or another. Nowhere is safe, no one is safe, not until these people Sophia found are out of the equation and maybe not even then; but it's a start.


	14. Who I'm Holding On To

**Hey guys I have an update for you! I'm really trying not to hate Daryl for what happened in the premier but if you haven't seen it get your alcohol and tissues ready! Also huge shout out to everyone reviewing, favoriting, and following you guys inspire me so much whenever I see an alert for this story or a pm in my inbox it makes me so excited to write more for you. Ok anyway this chapter is definitely crazy but that's nothing new lol.**

 **\- XOXO**

(Daryl's POV)

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Chloe smiles pullin' her shirt from last night over her head an' inta tha pile a dirty clothes in our tent.

"Mornin'," I stretch my arms, wincing at tha pain from my arrow catchin' in tha side. "Ya never wake up before me what's goin' on?"

"Well I was going to wake you up with breakfast in bed, thought it would be nice."

"It woulda," I smile, "I can close my eyes an' pretend I'm still sleepin' if ya want."

"No," she smirks, "it just wouldn't be the same."

"Then why don't ya come back down here for a minute?" I suggest an' she arches an eyebrow.

"Are you putting the moves on me?"

"That a problem Mrs. Dixon?" I cock my head ta tha side.

"Not at all Mr. Dixon, as long as you're feeling up to it. You're not supposed to over exert yourself."

"Well if ya don't come down here then I'll have ta come up there an' that'd just be more strain on my injuries."

"Point well made." She nods, her lips parted slightly as my eyes move away from her face down ta her tits. Perfect pink nipples hardenin' under my gaze.

"So what's it gonna be? You comin' down or am I comin' up?"

She climbs down ontop a me, her short still on as she straddles me. "Hi." She whispers when her face is level with mine.

"Hey," I reply, holdin' her long hair away from 'er face. She leans down ta kiss me, an' I press my hips up against hers, my cock strainin' through tha thin fabric of my boxers. I can feel tha heat from tha apex a her thighs. I hook my thumbs under tha waist band a her bottoms pushing them down over her legs onta tha ground. An' then she's workin' on mine, down onta tha floor with her own. I try ta roll on top a her but I don't quite make it.

"Fuck," I hiss through my teeth.

"You ok?"

"Yeah just my damn side."

"Here let me-" she begins nudgin' me onta my back, where I started.

"No I'm fine." I lie.

"You're not fine." She rolls her eyes as she pins me ta tha ground.

"I don't need ya babyin' me."

"You are my baby, so I'm allowed." Chloe insists draggin' her thumb over my bottom lip.

"Pfft." I scoff, battin' her hand away.

"Lay back and relax, let me do all the hard work." She whispers as she eases me inside a her. Fuck she's tight.

"Lean back, I wanna see ya."

"Oh," she says breathily, puttin' her hands on my thighs openin' herself up ta me.

"Just like that beautiful, fuck me." And she does, fast an' hard. Ridin' me like a fuckin' pony an' I can't keep my hands ta myself.

"Oh god...oh fuck Daryl." She sighs as my finger dig inta her hips, guidin' her movements.

"You're so wet baby, I can feel ya on my thighs." Her cheeks go bright red at my words, she's blushin'; after all we've done how can she still be blushin'? I sit up so we're pressed chest ta chest an' her moments slow, her arms goin' aroun' my neck. Holdin' me close as she rocks against me.

"I love you," she mutters, her soft lips right up against my ear.

"Oh baby girl," I groan out, "I love you." Her inner walls clench aroun' me an' I turn my head slightly until I find her mouth. We've come a long way from sloppy kisses and fumblin' hands in tha forest tha first time Chloe an' me ever fooled aroun'. I didn't know who she was or what she was gonna be ta me, hell I didn't even really know who I was. Just some guy tryna impress tha girl that pinned me against a tree an' kissed me without warnin'. Before all this I just belonged ta myself, now I'm just hers. An' all she wants is this, all she wants is me. Don't seem like a fair trade if ya ask me.

"Daryl...I'm gonna cum," she whimpers, her sweet breath fannin' over my skin, an' I'm right there with her. Her brows pull together in concentration, soft lips lettin' out tiny pants an' then she explodes aroun' me. I follow her, pullin' out at tha last second. While she's catchin' her breath she's kissin' me all over. My forehead, my nose, my eyelids, all kinda places that only she's ever kissed. I can't help smilin' at 'er.

"I think I need a nap now." She laughs tiredly.

"I need ta get outta this damn tent I'm goin' stir crazy." I nudge her offa me so I can get dressed.

"You haven't even been out here a full day." She glares at me disapprovingly while tuggin' on her own clothes.

"That's long enough, believe me."

"I'm gonna tell everyone... this morning, it's time." Not this shit again, ain't none a those people's damn business what happened ta her in those woods or there after.

"Ya don't gotta."

"I want to, seriously."

"Ok then that's all there is right? It's your decision I can't stop ya." I'm sick a fightin' over it.

"I think it'll be better this way." Chloe shrugs at my indifference, an' I know she wants me ta tell her that I think she's doin' tha right thing...but I don't.

"If anybody tries anythin' stupid I'll put 'em down. I ain't kiddin', not when it comes ta you."

"I know. But everything will be fine, ok?" She presses her lips ta my cheek.

"Ok." I huff.

(Shane's POV)

The only sound coming from everyone eatin' breakfast is silverware hittin' dishes until I hear somebody clearin' their throat.

"If I could just have your attention for a minute." Chloe says, settin' her fork down on her plate. Daryl's sittin' between her legs lookin' out at tha rest a us like some kinda watch dog. All eyes are on her now accept his, he's staring me down, runnin' his fingers over his gun.

"Down boy," I snicker at him. "Ain't nothin' she's 'bout to say that's gonna surprise me."

He narrows his eyes at me, squarin' his shoulders.

"What's goin' on?" Lori speaks up next.

"After that heard past us on the highway I was bit by one of those things. Otis, the same man who saved Carl, found me and brought me back here. They cared for me as best they could...until I passed. I woke up the next morning without a fever, without any sign of infection and over the next day or two my wound began to heal. Hershel is testing samples of my blood, he thinks it could be something as simple as a hormonal imbalance. That's what we're hoping for, but there's a very good possibility the discrepancy could run deeper than that, maybe even to the extent of an altered chromosome in my DNA and of course we can't test for that here. But this means that there is a way to save everyone, this cure is real, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to find it for all of you. I realize this must come as a shock but it was never my intention to hide it from any of you. There were a lot of moving parts in this situation. Hershel asked for this to be kept quiet and my family as well but to me you're all family so I trust that with this new information you will continue to treat me the same as you always have but in the event that for whatever reason you're unable to do so I'd understand. That being said I know none of you are thick headed enough to kill me knowing that I'm you're only real shot at fixing all of this. If anyone has any comments, questions, or concerns about anything I've just said please come forward. You're opinions are important to me." Sounds like lil Mrs. Dixon musta rehearsed this speech a hundred times.

"How soon will you know the outcome of these tests he's running?" Glenn speaks up first. Breakin' the awkward silence.

"Some take longer than others but it should only take a few days. God willing we could be working on a treatment plan for everyone as soon as next week." Chloe replies.

"And say it's something that you can only produce so much of, if there's not enough to go around what then?" T- Dog asks.

"The kids get it first no exemptions, Sophia and Carl, that's the priority and I think we can all agree to that. Next would be anyone who is most vulnerable to walker bites, people who go out on runs, scavenge, or anyone with a special condition; them next." She's runnin' her fingers over Daryl's hair as she speaks, pettin' him.

"Fair enough." Rick offered, I don't know why he's so intent on kissin' her ass but it seems like that's all he does lately.

"I don't want anyone getting their hopes too high, this could take years. We could never have the resources needed to obtain any hard evidence. Testing the effectiveness will also be tricky and the results will vary from person to person. But as long as we're all on the same side I see no reason that we can't beat this thing." She runs her dark eyes over the group, waitin' for someone to make tha next move.

"You need to start bein' more careful, stay out of the line of fire whenever possible. This isn't just about you anymore." If no one else is gonna say it I will.

"If and when I decide to do that it'll be my choice, not one that anyone else gets to make for me. Just so we're all clear on that." She nods dismissively at me.

"Thank you for letting us know." Lori chimes in, tryin' ta stop whatever is about ta go down between tha two of us.

"Of course," Chloe clears her throat, pattin' Daryl lightly on the shoulder. He moves aside so she can stand before takin' her seat. "I'll be inside."

So basically what she just said is that her kid sister, her love sick puppy dog, an' her best friend are the only ones gettin' a cure and tha rest a us can screw off. 'Ccept Carl, but who tha hell is she ta play God and decide who gets ta live or die? Carol's watchin' me now, like she thinks I'm 'bout to pop off a round into Chloe's head while she's walkin' away. Maybe I should just to see her an' Daryl squirm but that'd be counter productive. She has somethin' I want, somethin' I need.

(Chloe's POV)

I find Hershel in Sophia's room, checking her vitals. She's sleeping, her perfect face so peaceful and innocent.

"How's the patient?" I ask slowly, leaning against the bedpost.

"She'll pull through, she's a fighter this one. Just like her sister." He adds kindly.

"I just wanted to say thank again for everything and to give that blood sample you requested." I roll up my sleeve holding out my arm to him.

"Come have a seat in the arm chair, I'll get the viles set up." He motions for me to sit.

It doesn't take but ten minutes for him to take what he needs and put a bandage over the tiny puncture wound. He's just about to finish the first set of tests when Shawn barges in.

"Hershel it happened again-" he stops mid sentence when he sees me.

"We'll put these aside for later, do me a favor darling and go find Rick for me. I need his help with something." Hershel pats my knee.

"Is everything ok? I can help you." I offer moving to my feet.

"Nothing to worry about but it does need to be Rick, if you all are going to stay here he needs to understand how we do things." He says by way of explanation.

"You're going to let us stay?" I try to fight the hopeful smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"I'm considering it yes. So long as everything goes well this afternoon." He tells me with a nod.

"I'll go find Rick then." I excuse myself from the room and make my way back out to the tents. Everyone has finished up with breakfast now and they're off doing their own thing. I find Rick with Lori at the old outdoor wooden table helping Carl work on some math problems. "Sorry to interrupt but uh I need to borrow Rick for a moment." I say holding my right hand up to my brow to block the sun from my eyes.

"You finish up those problems," the sheriff nods to his son.

"Ok Dad." Carl smiles, adjusting his father's oversized hat on his head.

"What's this all about?" Rick asks when we get a few feet away.

"Hershel needs to see you about something...he's thinking about letting us stay as long as whatever it is goes well." I explain, taking strides toward the farm house.

"Then I'll make sure it goes well." He assures me.

"Good luck." I wave him off as he shuffles up the steps. I trudge back toward me and Daryl's tent ignoring the way everyone is looking at me after my confession this morning. It's a look of betrayal more than anything else, there's no fear in their eyes, just more of an accusation like they're all saying why didn't you just tell me. I zip the tent behind me, flopping back onto my sleeping bag, my mind finally taking a much needed break. I have no idea how long I slept for before hearing it.

Shane screaming out, "what is this? What the hell is this!"

Whatever hopes I had of this afternoon going well are clearly off the table.

(Daryl's POV)

One thing I know is that when shit hits tha fan and people start handin' out guns I'm grabbin' two. One for me an' one for that wife a mine that ain't no where ta be found. She don't even make an appearance until we're runnin' down towards tha barn ta get a better look at what tha hell Hershel and Rick are doin'. They got a couple geeks on snag poles, leadin' em back our way.

"Why do your people have guns Rick?" Tha old man demands.

"What's going on here?" Rick turns ta Shane.

"I don't know man I was just about to ask you that same thing." Shane shouts back.

"Baby," Chloe finally finds me amongst tha crowd, restin' her hand on my shoulder ta get my attention. "What are you doing?"

"Don't know yet." I shrug, watchin' it all play out. "Here," I hand her tha gun I had stuffed in tha waistband a my jeans.

"I don't need it." She argues.

"Don't need it?" Shane protests, "do you see what they're holding on to?"

"I see who I'm holding on to." Tha old man cuts in.

I force the revolver into her hand, "take it just in case." I demand.

Chloe nods reluctantly.

"These people aren't sick! They're dead. They're the things that killed Otis, they're the things that killed Amy, they're the things that bit Chloe and chewed Sophia's arm up. They're gonna kill all of us unless we do somethin'. Hey Hershel let me ask you this could a living breathing person walk away from this?" Shane pops off three shots inta tha female geek. "That's three rounds to the chest, that's it's heart, it's lungs, why is it still comin'?"

"Shane that's enough!" Rick hollers at him, still wrestlin' with tha walker at tha end a his own pole.

"You're right man, that is enough." Shane puts tha sorry thing on Hershel's stick out of it's misery 'fore continuin' on his rampage. "Enough sleepin' next to a barn full of things that are tryin' to kill us. Enough! Rick it ain't like it was before and if y'all wanna live you're gonna have to fight, I'm talkin' 'bout right here. Right now."

"Hershel take that snag pole, Hershel listen to me man take it." Rick pleads with tha gray haired man as Shane storms toward tha barn down. Tryna kick it open an' rilin' up all tha dead fuckers inside in tha process.

"Rick." Lori yells.

"Shane listen to me, don't do this. Do not do this brother. Please."

"Don't do it!"

"Shane!"

"Come on."

"Do not do this! Not this way."

Everybody's screamin' at once. He tears tha lock an' chain straight off tha barn doors and they start comin'. Everybody with guns lines up, shootin' em down. I'm on tha far left, Chloe aside a me an' T-dog next ta her with Shane at the center and Glenn, Andrea, and Rick on tha other side. One by one we take em down, not lettin' em within spittin' distance until they start tricklin' out real slow, this is the last of them. Then I feel it, tha warm mist fly across my right side. I lift my hand ta my face, rubbin' at it with my finger tips, comin' away red. That's blood. I turn my head ta both sides, just tryna understand what tha hell happened that's when I realize Chloe ain't there anymore. Somethin' falls across my feet an' I look down. There she is, her entire shoulder a bloody mess.

"What happened?" Glenn rushes over, turnin' her still body so that she's facin' upward. I stumble backwards as Hershel an' Carol rush in. Every gun is turned on Shane who has his hands up.

"I have a pulse." Hershel calls out.

"Chloe baby can you hear me? It's mommy, just hang on. We're gonna get you help."

"We have to get her into the house."

I sweep her up in my arms, she's so still. Just tha slow, shallow rise an' fall a her breathin' ta remind me she's still there. I lay her on tha bed an' Patricia an' Hershel start workin' over her.

"She's bleedin' out." Patricia shakes her head.

"Must have hit an artery, we need blood." Hershel presses down hard on her wound but still all that blood is pourin' out. Stainin' tha sheets dark red.

"Let me." Sophia's tiny voice comes from tha doorway.

"You're barely on your feet." Maggie points out an' I knoe she's right. Tha lil girl probably shouldn't be doin' this but we don't got any more options.

"She's my sister, you have to save her and I'm the only one who can so please, take it from me." Sophia insists, remindin' me more a Chloe than she ever has.

"She'll just wake up again if she..." The farmer's youngest daughter begins but her Daddy cuts her off before she can get much out.

"There's no way to know that Bethy, that was a result of her reaction to the virus spread by the bite. If she were to die of natural causes then chances are she won't come back."

"She stopped breathin'," Maggie shouts.

"We need room to work! Everybody make room!" Hershel insists as he begins CPR.

"Is she gonna die?" Sophia cries while Patricia hooks her up ta tha needle.

"Not if we have any say in it."

"Maggie, take over chest compressions, I need to stop that bleeding or we're gonna lose her."

My legs give out and I fall ta my knees at tha foot a her bed. Please God don't take her from me, I'll give anythin'; anythin'. Just let me keep 'er. Hershel is stitchin' her up as best he can but there's too much blood.

"Daddy she's not respondin'." Tha dark haired girl is a bloody mess and there's no end in sight.

"Keep tryin'!" I pound my fists against tha footboard.

"Everyone is doing everything they can. Maggie hold off on the compressions." Tha vet instructs.

"Daddy the first thing ya ever taught me about CPR is never ta stop once I've started. She'll die." Maggie keeps workin' over Chloe's body.

"If we can't close this artery she will die anyway. This is the only way." Hershel says.

Time stops. I realize it's been too long, too long since her heart stopped beatin', too long since she took a breath. Just as I feel tha sense a dread wash over me Chloe lets out a blood curdlin' scream...she's alive.


	15. It Takes Two To Tango

(Daryl's POV)

Didn't get much sleep last night after it all went down. Chloe passed out again after that first scream. That's a good thing too, after we got all that bleedin' under control Doc spent a while stitchin' up er shoulder. Looks a lil bit like Frankenstein now but I ain't complainin' so long as she lives an' breathes. I run my fingers through her soft hair. Hershel says tha more I talk ta her tha faster she'll wake up. I think it's bullshit but it can't hurt. "I love you Chloe. We got real lucky, I still got you an' you still got me. I'm gon' do somethin' bout Shane too. Right now I just gotta be here with you. Most important thing in tha world."

"Sorry to interrupt," Hershel says from tha doorway. "I just wanted to see how those bandages are holdin' up. It doesn't look like she's bled through them which is a good sign."

"If it's good news why do ya look like ya got bad news for me?" I ask, leanin' away from er.

"I was able to do some testing on the samples of blood Chloe gave yesterday, everything came back normal. Accept she does have an elevated level of HCG." He crosses tha room ta take her pulse.

"So this HCG stuff is the answer?" I eye him warily. It can't really be that easy can it?

"In a sense." He nods.

"What do ya mean in a sense?"

"It's an answer but just not to the one we were looking for." What tha hell does that mean?

"You're losin' me here doc."

"Chloe's pregnant."

"What?" My stomach almost falls outta my ass. He's gotta be fuckin' with me.

"I can't say for certain if that has anything to do with what happened. Maybe she was offering immunity to the baby or maybe the baby is the reason she's immune either way I'd like to hold off on further testing until she gives birth-"

"When is that gonna be?" I demand, this can't be happenin'.

"If we're able to find the heartbeat with the Doppler machine then we can use that as an indicator but truly everything is an educated guess without an ultra sound machine."

"There was only two times I ever...and once was two night ago. The first time wasn't more than three weeks."

"It takes about a month for a positive test."

"We were careful, I was careful and I-" I ramble on.

"These things happen." He cuts me off.

"What am I supposed ta do now?"

"For now we wait. You've got about seven months to figure it out."

"She's gonna kill me."

Tha old man smiles, "she'll come around. We still have to deal with Shane. He can't stay here. Not after this."

"Yeah I got a few things in mind for ole Shane."

"He's a danger to us all."

"Ya think I should kill 'em?"

"No, let him try is luck out there alone."

"If I don't kill him he's not gonna die."

"Maybe not but he is gonna be far away from you and Chloe and that baby growin' in her belly."

He takes tha little machine out, squirtin' some blue shit on her stomach before passin' tha tiny wand over her skin.

"What is that?" I wonder, leanin' closer ta hear tha tiny thumps better, fast but steady.

"That's your baby's heartbeat."

"It's ok?"

"Yes, it's your responsibility to keep it that way." He moves tha machine away.

"Can I just listen ta it? For a lil while longer."

"These things are tricky, especially with a fetus that small finding a heartbeat is tough. But this one-" the lil thuds fill tha room again, "this one is strong."

"So she's been pregnant for a while?"

"Between eight and ten weeks give or take."

That woulda been like from one of the first times we ever...how did I miss that? How did she miss that? "But she I mean...she had her period." My cheeks are burnin' I hate talkin' about shit like this.

"Sometimes in early pregnancy spotting can be mistaken for a period." He explains.

"Are ya sure that tha test ain't wrong?"

"Your wife is pregnant." He says again matter a factly.

"I love my wife." I reply without thinkin', I think I'm supposed ta be excited or somethin' I don't want him gettin' tha wrong idea about us; about me.

"Of course you do. Anybody paying attention can see."

"You have to let us stay...please." I'm prepared ta beg, for Chloe, for our baby.

"I could hardly send her away now." He sighs. "But as for the rest of your group, something has to be done there."

"Will ya sit with her?" I ask.

"I will." Sophia says from behind us.

"Now sweetheart I told you no getting out of bed." Hershel shakes his head.

"I know; I'm sorry but...there are somethings I need to say to her. I'll lay down with her if you want me to, but I need to be with my sister."

"Come on then," Hershel waves her over, settlin' er under tha covers. "Be mindful of her shoulder."

"I know." Tha lil girl nods.

"Good girl, how's that arm feeling?"

"It's ok I guess," Sophia shrugs. "It hurts but not a lot, not like it did."

"It's healing up nicely, in a few weeks we can start looking for a prosthetic-"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore right now please." She closes her eyes.

"Alright, if you need anything just holler Patricia or Beth will be around." Hershel pats her head once before turnin' ta leave.

"So you and Chloe are having a baby."

"How long were ya standin' there ease droppin'?" I smirk.

"Long enough." She shrugs. "How could you do that? Aren't you afraid?"

"We didn't mean ta...it just happened." I scratch tha back a my head awkwardly.

"My sister thinks you walk on water."

"An' what do you think?" I wonder.

"I'm still trying to figure you out."

"Ya don't trust me?" I chuckle.

"You think there's something funny about that?" She stares me down.

"Nah."

"Then why are you laughing?" She demands.

"You are your sister's sister, that's all."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It's supposed ta be."

"Don't you have some where else to be?"

"Yeah," I kiss tha back a Chloe's hand I been holdin' before I settin' it down on tha bed.

"You're never gonna be good enough for her."

"I know kid. Ya don't gotta keep remindin' me."

"Then why are you still trying?"

"'Cause she deserves that atleast."

(Glenn's POV)

Maggie came to find me early this morning. We talked about a lot, then one thing led to another and we ended up having sex in the horse stable. She wants me to stay if the rest of the group leaves...

"Where is he?" Daryl yells racing down from the house, this is the first time he's stepped away from Chloe since she was shot yesterday and by the look in his eyes he wants blood.

"Daryl you need to just calm down." Rick approaches him first, trying to reason with him.

"Where is tha son of a bitch that shot my wife! My pregnant wife!" He moves forward again. Surely I didn't hear him right.

"Pregnant?" I stammer, taking a step toward him.

"That's right. My Daddy wants him of our land and so do I." Maggie jumps in.

"You knew about this?" Turn to her.

"Just found out this mornin'." She says.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Let's all just hold on a second." Rick interrupts, trying to keep the peace.

"No Rick you're not talking him out of this one." Daryl snarls, nostrils flaring and all. "I will kill you ta get ta him if that's what it takes."

"What he did was inexcusable, we're lucky she wasn't killed." Lori joins in, pushing her long hair away from her face.

"Well not for lack of him tryin'!" Maggie goes on. I don't get it, Maggie and Chloe aren't close by any means but they'll go to war for each other in a second.

"Hey man you think that if I really wanted to kill Chloe I woulda shot her in the shoulder? Why wouldn't I just put a bullet in her head?" Shane comes out of the woodwork and Daryl lunges for him.

"Then explain what tha hell ya were tryin' ta do because there was nothin' comin' from her left. I was right aside a her, there was no reason for you ta be firin' anywhere near her!" It's true, that side of her was clear.

"Listen I'm sorry she got caught in the crossfire but I think we can both agree that she shouldn't have been on the front line to begin with." Shane tries to defend himself and I want to believe him because the alternative is too terrible to comprehend. Chloe can be...abrasive at times but I can't begin to imagine anyone wanting to kill her.

"Don't you try and turn this around, this is your fault. You knew damn well what you were doin'." Daryl has the front of Shane's shirt fisted in his hands, screaming his frustration into his face.

"Man that's bullshit, she's gonna help us all. She's the only person who can so please explain to me what motive I have to take her out? If you can give me one good reason I'll go."

"Maybe ya didn't mean ta kill her right away, just lay her up long enough ta take what ya needed an' get tha cure. Ya don't give a damn about Chloe, never have."

"Correct me if I'm wrong but I beat Ed's ass into the ground for puttin' his hands on her so don't tell me that I don't care about her. Just because I ain't stickin' it to her every night don't mean-"

"Don't talk about her like that!" Maggie steps into the middle of the action before I can comprehend what she's doing. Slapping Shane hard across the face. "Haven't you done enough."

"Woah, Maggie." I step between them.

"You're gonna let them do this Rick?"

"You shot someone Shane! My hands are tied."

"Wake up man, wake up."

"You need to leave. You need to take your stuff and go." Rick says finally. "We can't trust you. So we can't have you here. There are babies being born."

"That's just it then isn't it?" Shane spits at the ground.

"You leave and you live, you stay here and...well I don't know what'll happen."

(Chloe's POV)

I peel my eyes open, blinking a couple times against the light of the setting sun. "Mmm," I groan as I attempt to sit up.

"Hey, take it easy beautiful." Daryl says, brushing his knuckles over my cheek. "I got some water an' painkillers for ya."

"Thank you," I move slowly to take them from him. "Is this fucking Tylenol?" I laugh, "what's a girl gotta do to get some oxy around here?"

"Ya can't take oxy right now baby." He shifts under my gaze.

"Why not?" I demand.

"Cause a...ya may or may not be pregnant."

"I may or may not be?! Nobody says you may or may not be pregnant that's like saying you may or may not have won the lottery. You either did or you didn't."

"Fine," he whispers, "ya are."

"You're lying." I gape at him.

"No I'm not, but it's ok Hershel just wants to keep ya on bed rest for a few days an' make sure ya don't lose it after all tha stress a-"

I lean over the side of the bed and vomit. This can't be happening, not now.

"Chloe..." Daryl moves to sit aside of me, running his hand up and down my back. "I love you. Everythin' is gonna be ok. I'm gonna make it ok for you; for our baby."

I let out a sob, we can't have a baby. "I was so stupid."

"This my fault-" He starts to protest.

"No it's not...it was my fault for letting myself think that I could just be happy for once and that nothing bad was going to happen."

"It takes two ta tango-"

"We were careful at the beginning...we got sloppy." Idiot Chloe, you're an idiot.

"I know this ain't tha best time but this is a good thing. We're havin' a baby."

"This is the most selfish thing I've ever done." I cry against his chest as he pulls to him as tight as he can and just holds me, "I'm so sorry baby," I reach between us to my stomach where that poor innocent life is growing. A life I can't protect from the horrors of this world. Cry even harder at the reality that sooner or later I will lose this baby. This baby that I love without even knowing of it's existence for more then a few moments. "I'm so sorry."

"I won't let anythin' happen ta you or this baby do ya hear me?"

I nod even though I don't believe him.

"That baby is lucky, got tha best mama any baby's ever had. We're gonna give it all tha love this world has ta offer and it's never gonna wonder why it's not good enough. It's never gonna wonder how a relationship is supposed ta be because we're gonna show it. This baby is lucky because it's half a you. Tha best parts a us, it ain't a mistake. Nothin' I've done with you could ever be a mistake."

"There was so much I was supposed to do. Find the cure, make it safe-"

"We can still find a cure, we will find it. There's a way ta do this where we can have it all. Shane is gone. Sophia and Carl are safe. Hershel is gonna let us stay, we can have a life here." Daryl insists.

"Do you really believe that? That we're all going to sit around a table together for Sunday dinner somewhere in the happily ever after?"

"I do."

"I want you to be right, I need you to be."

(A/N: I couldn't resist the line about the happily ever after once I seen the season seven premiere like the ending scene with them all at the table was so perfect omg it broke my heart.)


	16. Out Of Commission

**(Hey guys! Sorry if this chapter is a little slow we're really building towards the next couple chapters full of excitement so this one is just getting it all set up. Thanks for all your reviews, favs, and follows they make my day. Also this chapter mentions team Gloe it's actually pronounced Glowy. I just thought it was a cute way to refer to Glenn and Chloe as a dynamic duo when they're causing mischief and kicking ass. I hope you enjoy!)**

(Chloe's POV)

"Hey," Glenn pops his head in. "Are you well enough for visitors my bedridden bestie?"

"Don't be an ass, Hershel gave me a clean bill of health yesterday, I'm only laying here for an extra day to placate Daryl. What's up?" I push myself into a sitting position, my shoulder burning in protest but I ignore it. I'm fine.

"Hershel is missing and Beth is in some kind of shock. We think he went into the town, there's a bar there that he used to go to." He explains, plopping down at the foot of my bed.

"I'd love to help but..." I trail off, it's still hard to say. Hard to even think; pregnant. I am pregnant. The words get caught in the back of my throat each time I even try.

"But you've got Daryl's offspring growing inside you." He finishs for me.

"It actually sounds a lot worse when you say it like that." I laugh, throwing the blanket off of me.

"So team Gloe is officially out of commission for a while." It's sad but true, Glenn and I raised a lot of hell together in the short time I've known him but all good things must come to an end.

"I'm sorry Glennie. You might just have to play on team Gleggie from now on." I smile, mashing together a combination of both Glenn and Maggie's names to form an acceptable substitute for the joining of our own names.

"That sounds like a disease." Glenn chuckles.

"It does." I smile. "Be careful out there. I love you." I lean in and hug him.

"I will, love you." He squeezes me back lightly. "You give really gross hugs, has anyone ever told you that?" He pulls away. "Your hand like opens and closes while you're rubbing your nails on me like a monster claw or something."

"You're an idiot," I slap the back of his head as he moves to stand.

"Hey you started it, the first time we ever hugged you told me to get off because I was breathing too hard."

"No person should ever be breathing that heavily, I'm sorry it's not normal!"

Someone clears their throat from the doorway, we turn our heads toward the sound. It's Maggie standing in the doorway with her hands in her pockets. "Glenn can I see you for a minute."

"Yeah," Glenn says quickly. "Of course."

"Hey Maggie." I wave at her.

"Hey." She nods, pulling the door shut behind her and Glenn.

I clamber out of bed and into the bathroom for a shower. After a thorough shampoo I finally start to feel human again. I towel off, taking my first good look at my shoulder. It's red and angry looking, the surrounding skin puckered and uneven; still painful to the touch but I can see where scabs are starting to form. This is me. If I keep this up I'll be giving Daryl a run for his money in the scar department. One on my forehead from the dumpster, one on my side from the bite, a chunk carved out of my shoulder from Shane. I'm lucky to be alive, I shake my head at myself. I turn to the side, dusting my fingers lightly over the skin of my lower stomach. I doesn't look like anything is in there, but what was I expecting? To grow to the size of a blimp over night? That's ridiculous, you have seven long months ahead. Seven months of growing Daryl's offspring. Glenn's words from earlier pop into my head but I push them away. Seven months of carrying Daryl's baby I correct myself. Tugging on a fresh set of clothes after setting a new bandage over my wound I gather the laundry from the hamper in the room we've been staying in as well as Sophia's. Making my way outside is peaceful, I take a deep breath of the fresh air. Sweet freedom.

"Hey mama." I greet her in passing.

"Hi sweetheart, what's going on?" She chases after me. Like she's afraid I'm going to faint at the drop of a hat.

"I just thought I'd come help out with laundry." I raise the basket of dirty clothes slightly for her prying eyes.

"Well that's sweet honey, but I meant what's going on with you. How are you feeling?" She presses on, I set the clothes down. Turning to her with a sigh.

"I feel good." I lie, technically it's only half a lie. I don't feel bad by any means, I just don't really remember what good feels like anymore.

"And the baby?" Mom nods toward my stomach.

"Hershel said everything is going well."

"I can tell." She grins from ear to ear, resting her hand on my belly. I guess she's entitled to be a little excited, she's about to be a grandma for the first time.

"How?" I cock my head to the side.

"You're glowing." She replies simply.

"No I'm not." I roll my eyes. That's ridiculous, nobody actually glows like a fluorescent sign just because they're knocked up.

"You are. You look beautiful." She touches the end of my braid affectionately and I allow myself to smile for just a second.

"Thank you...speaking of the baby, have you seen Daryl?"

"He left with Glenn and Rick to find Hershel."

"He what?" I stammer, no he didn't. Why wouldn't he say something?

"I thought you knew-"

"No, I didn't." I feel my stomach roll and try to resist the urge to vomit.

"Alright just calm down, I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"I need to..." Think Chloe! "is Lori here?"

"Yeah, last I saw her she was fixing lunch. Trying to see if she can get Beth to eat something."

"Ok, I'll go see if she needs help."

"Are you sure? What about your laundry?"

"All this talk about food made me realize how hungry I am. I'll be back for it."

"Don't worry about it baby, I've got it."

"No you don't have to-" I begin to protest.

"It's no trouble." She insists and I know my mother. She can argue for our hours about anything when she has nothing better to do.

"Ok, thanks." I agree before excusing myself back into the house.

(Lori's POV)

I'm in the middle of cutting the crust off of Carl's peanut butter and jelly sandwich when I hear the screen door swing open. Chloe comes charging into the kitchen like a bat out of hell.

"Everything ok?" I ask, taking a bite out of the cucumber laying on the cutting board.

"When did they leave?" She demands, washing her hands before grabbing the knife beside the carrots and begins chopping away. It's a wonder she hasn't hacked off a finger.

"Maybe half hour ago."

"How long do you think it takes to get to town and back?" She points the knife at me.

"Ok let's maybe put that down." I take it from her. "If that's all they're doing it couldn't be more than an hour both ways."

"But we don't know what kind of state Hershel's in or if he'll even agree to come back." She pinches the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger.

"Right."

"I hate this, I hate not knowing. I hate being stuck here doing nothing." She slams her left hand down onto the counter in a fit of rage.

"Then maybe we should do something." I shrug.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, maybe we give them a couple hours and if they're not back we go look for them. Make sure they're ok." I suggest, testing the waters. Her brown eyes light up.

"We leave at sundown. We'll take one of the cars, I know you'd be too nervous on the bike and besides if something is wrong it's not a practical get away vehicle."

"Whose car are we gonna take without them noticing? It's not like we can just ask, no one is going to let us go out there by ourselves." I point out, if this is gonna work no one else can know.

"You're right. About all of it." Maggie says, slinking in from the dining room. Twirling a set of car keys around her pointer finger. "I want in."

"No, Glenn will be pissed at us."

"Look we're all gonna get our asses reamed over this, but I'd rather that then any of them being into trouble that they can't get out of. I've got the car, you need me." Maggie's got a point.

Chloe narrows her eyes at her but the brunette doesn't flinch.

"You an' me are gonna be in each other's lives for a long time. I love Glenn and so do you, an' he loves both of us. So take my offer, let's be friends." Maggie raises an eyebrow, waiting for a response.

"We'll meet up at the car, don't wanna draw attention." Chloe says after mulling it over for a while.

"Sounds like a plan."

Now we wait.

(Maggie's POV)

"We probably shouldn't be going." Lori reiterates as we check the ammunition in our guns.

"Maybe not." I agree.

"And our husbands are going to kill us." Chloe adds, stuffing her pistol into the front of her jeans.

"Your husbands," I correct her with a smile. "But we're going anyway."

"For sure." Lori climbs into the drivers seat with me in the passenger and Chloe in the back.

"We're so smart," Chloe says sarcastically. "Let get this show on the road before someone sees us out here." We settle into the car and I reach over, pullin' on my seatbelt.

"Alright Maggie where am I going?" She puts the car into gear.

"Once you get off the farm make a left you stay on that road for a while."

"Easy enough, after all we're just gonna drive in, check on them and then we'll all be back home. How badly can we really screw this up?" Lori looks to each of us in turn.

"Lori watch out!" I holler, givin' the wheel a push to the left to avoid the wreck we're about to have.

We swerve at the last second, barely missin' the walker in the middle of the road.

"Jesus," Chloe breathes, placin' a protective hand over her belly.

"Sorry."

"Maybe I should drive." I suggest.

"Good idea." We switch places fast, if they're not back yet they probably did run into some kind of trouble.

"How long does it take to get inta town?" Chloe asks, proppin' her feet up on the middle console.

"Inta town?" Lori repeats.

"Yeah." She looks at me puzzled when I let out a chuckle. "What?"

"Nothing, you just said inta town instead of into town; that's all."

"No, I definitely said inta town." Her hand flies up over her mouth when she hears her own southern drawl. "Oh no, it's happening."

"Don't you mean it's happenin'?"

"Shut up." She kicks the back a my seat.

(Daryl's POV)

"Daryl and Glenn make a run for the car, Hershel will cover you." Rick tells, reloadin' his pistol.

We slip out tha back door inta tha alley way, tha car is just at tha end a tha street. If we play our cards right, should be no trouble gettin' there. Then I hear it, there's a second car pullin' up, we're out manned an' out gunned. Bullets start flyin' in tha street in front a tha bar. Almost like tha cars are shootin' at each other but that don't make no since.

"What tha hell's goin' on?"

"I-I don't know it's dark I really can't see...oh shit." Glenn says, movin' ta look around tha dumper that's coverin' us.

"Oh shit? What oh shit?" I snap.

"Well the girls are here." He rubs his head anxiously.

"What?!" I jump up ta see what he's talkin' 'bout an' tha guy at tha end a tha alley fires a shot our way an' we take cover again. Three bullets sound an' I hear tha guy fall ta tha ground with a thump.

"Did I get 'em?" It's Maggie.

"I think so, Lori swing it back around." But it's that voice; her voice, that gets tha blood poundin' heavy in my ears.

"Tell me that's not-"

"Yep, definitely Maggie and Chloe. Hanging out of a car window, shooting down a bunch of strangers with no reguard for their own lives." Glenn nods.

"Damn her." I spit under my breath.

"Let's get outta here! These people are fucking crazy. Randal let's go." This time a mans voice.

"Wait man! Wait for me." Somebody calls from tha next block over.

"There's no time, jump."

My guess is Randal don't make it because there's a loud clunk followed by a scream. "Help! Help me! Please."

"Sorry kid we gotta go." The truck screeches off.

"Everybody ok?" Lori call out as Maggie's car comes to a stop beside the alley.

"We're good in here." Rick replies. "Glenn, Daryl, you guys alright?"

"Yep we're coming out!" Glenn says.

"Daryl!" Chloe rushes me.

"What's tha matter with you?" I catch her around the waist, kissin' her for all I'm worth.

"With me?" She says between frantic kisses, "you're the one that left without telling me. I was worried sick about you!"

"It ain't like it was, ya can't be out here." We finally break apart.

"You are an asshole Daryl Dixon! But you're my asshole and nobody is gonna kill you but me. So get in the damn car before anyone else tries."

"Hold up a minute." Rick hollers an' we walk over ta meet him. Some kid layin' on a dumpster with this leg caught on tha fence.

"We'll have to amputate." Hershel says, "he'll lose the leg from the knee down."

"No please mister don't take my leg." Tha kid blubbers like a baby.

"We need to move, those guys could come back and we've got walkers coming in on all sides." Glenn shakes his head.

"He's right Rick, there's no time and he's too loud."

"Damn it," Rick curses, runnin' his hands over his face.

"There's nothing we can go." Chloe chimes in an' tha kid squints his eyes at her.

"Sophia?" He says softly after lookin' er over for a second.

"What? What'd you say?" She jumps at him.

"We can't hold em off any longer!" Maggie hollers as tha geeks start floodin' toward us.

"Chloe now!" I tug on her arm.

"Chloe wait!" Tha kid calls.

"He knows something." She steps toward him again.

"I don't give a damn what he knows we're leavin'." I tug at her arm but she won't budge.

"No, please don't leave me! I know your sister I can help you. You're all she talked about when she was with us."

"Ta hell with this," I yank his leg off tha fence. "Help me load em up."

"Let me," Glenn steps in front a Chloe and we toss tha unconscious kid inta tha back a tha car we came in, before climbin' inta Maggie's. Nobody says nothin' it's tha most uncomfortable car ride I've ever been on.

"We gonna talk 'bout what just happened?" I say a couple minutes in.

"Nope." Chloe keeps her arms crossed tightly over her chest, eyes aimed out tha window.

"So you're just gonna keep on ignorin' me?"

"Yep."

"Whatever." I lean farther inta my side a tha car.

"Believe me I'm doing you a favor."

"Fair nuff. But we gon' have ta talk about it 'cause that's tha type a shit that can't be happenin' while that baby's in there."

"Daryl just shut up. Please!" She's gotta be tha only person in this world ta add a please after sayin' shut up.

"I was just-"

"Glenn, pull over." She throws a hand over her mouth.

"You alright?" Maggie whips her head aroun' as tha car comes ta a stop an' Chloe swings her door open. Emptyin' tha contents of her stomach onta tha side a tha road. Without thinkin' I slide over next ta her, pullin' her hair away from her face, runnin' my knuckles up an' down her back. No matter how mad we are at each other that's my wife, my Chloe. I hate this.

"You good dude?" Glenn asks once she's finished, slammin' tha door shut behind er.

She gives him a thumbs up in the rear view mirror.

"I think I had a pack a gum in here somewhere," Maggie starts rummagin' threw tha glove box.

"Is that it under the cds babe?" Glenn leans over ta get a better look.

"Good eyes," she smirks. "Here." Maggie passes back a stick of gum.

"Thanks."

"Feel better." Tha dark haired girl adds as tha car starts back in motion.

I reach out for her again but she bats my hand away, "that's what you do to me. You leave without telling me, I was worried sick over you! You could have been dead, all of you and I wouldn't even get a chance to say goodbye. I'd be raising our baby by myself. Is that what you want?"

"'Course not." She gotta realize by now how much I love her, how much I love that baby.

"Then why did you leave without a word? Did you even think about me at all?"

"I was tryna protect ya...if I told ya I wanted ta go you would have been all for it. If somethin' happened ta me while I was gone, look me in tha eye an' tell me ya wouldn't blame yourself. Tell me that ya could live with that. I'd rather have ya hatin' me for what I did then hatin' yourself. I was thinkin' about how you'd feel if Glenn didn't come back, how scared ya'd be if we lost Hershel and he wasn't around ta help deliver tha baby, how guilty you'd feel if nobody did nothin' ta help Beth. So yes I thought about ya, I think about you all tha time."

She sighs, "and I was thinking about you. That's why I had to come, I need you around. I need you alive and with me."

"I'll be aroun'." I tell 'er, bitin' on tha inside a my cheek. She takes my hand in hers bringin' it ta her mouth for a kiss.

"Maggie I love you too." Glenn blurts out of tha clear blue. "I've been thinking about what you said all day. I just wanted you to know."

"Well I'm glad," Tha farmer's daughter smiles, "even if that was the most awkwardly timed confession I ever heard."

"Yeah I was just..." he shakes his head, "I kept thinking about it and I wanted to tell you but then I-"

"You're spoilin' it." She stops him.

"Ok. I'll shut up."


	17. Not Today

**(Ok guys here we go, chapter 17! Thanks for much for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing I'm glad you're enjoying the story. It's about to get a little bit darker.)**

(Daryl's POV)

I'm sittin' behind her, her back propped up against me. Her legs fallin' heavy onta tha bed when I let em slip from my hands. Sweaty blonde hair stuck ta her forehead. It's finally over, after a day an' a half a labor our baby is here. I can tell by tha look on Hershel's face that somethin' is wrong.

"I'm so sorry Daryl. The baby is fine but Chloe won't survive this." He steps away from tha bloody mess between her legs.

"You're a doctor, help her!" I holler at him, tappin' her pale cheek for some type a response.

"She's hemorrhaging, we don't have the equipment necessary to-"

"Why didn't you stop it then? She wasn't ready ta push it was too early." Come on Chloe, come on.

"We needed to save the baby Daryl, you would have lost them both." He explains, towelin' off tha squealin' pink baby.

"There has ta be somethin' you can do." I can't do this alone.

"I'm sorry Daryl, so sorry."

I jerk awake, covered in sweat. Tha thick blanket thrown off and tangled at my feet. I try ta steady my breathin', she's right there. I tell myself, tha gentle rise and fall a her shoulders reminds me a what I already know. It was a dream, just a stupid nightmare. I run my hands over my face, movin' right behind her as gentle as I can. She's tha lightest sleeper I've ever known so a course she feels tha soft jostlin' when I put my arms aroun' er. She turns her head ta tha left so she can see me, only one eye open as she peeks over. Upon realizin' that nothin' wrong she moves her head back ta rest on my arm, peckin' a few lazy kisses ta tha inside a my bicep. I pull her closer, breathin' in tha scent her long hair.

"What's the matter baby?" She says softly, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Nothin' 'm alright go back ta sleep." I mutter under my breath.

"Are you gonna sleep too." She asks.

"Prolly not." I sigh.

"Then I'll stay up with you."

"Don't gotta."

"I want to, besides it's hard to sleep when you're poking me." She smirks.

Sure nuff despite my dream my cock is still standin' at attention. Fuckin' mornin' wood. "Sorry." I shift myself away from er.

"Don't be, come back." She insists, wigglin' her perfect ass against my hard on.

"Chloe," I groan out in warnin' but she don't let up. She cranes her neck ta kiss me, guidin' my hand up my shirt she's wearin' as pajamas with nothin' but a pair a baby blue panties underneath. I take her left breast in my hand kneadin' it for a minute 'fore rollin' er nipple between my fingers until it stands at attention. She shivers, archin' back against me. She slide er hand back, pullin' my cock over tha waistband a my boxers.

"I want you baby, please." She whispers, her soft lips ghostin' over mine. How tha hell could anyone say no ta that? I push er panties ta tha side.

"I love ya." I tell her, buryin' myself inside.

"I love you too Daryl. So much." All that shit from earlier is outta my head. Every terrible thing I've ever seen, heard, or felt is just gone. Like it always is when I'm with her. Chloe's back pressed right up against my chest, both arms aroun' er, her soft fingers laced through mine; still, she ain't close enough. I move outta her real slow and then right back in until she moves with me. Her hips lazily circlin' ta meet mine, pushin' me deeper; her pussy so hot an' tight on me, so good it almost hurts. Both a us still on our sides, makin' love, not in any rush ta finish. I trail kisses over tha side a her face, an' down er neck, stoppin' at tha slope a her shoulder, suckin' tha skin there between my teeth; leavin' her a nice lil hickey. She grips my hands tighter as I push her higher and higher until she comes apart at tha seams, pulsin' around my cock triggerin' my own release and then we're just a sweaty mess a arms an' legs. She smiles, runnin' er hand through my hair, "thanks for waking me up."

"Anytime," I smirk back.

"You sure you're ok?"

"I am now." I nod with a yawn.

"Good. Sweet dreams." She nuzzles my arm.

"Can ya...never mind." I shake my head, it's stupid ta ask her now. She's tired.

"No, tell me." Chloe insists.

"That song ya were playin' on tha guitar, will ya sing it."

"I thought you said it was depressing," she arches an eyebrow at me.

"Like I said, just forget it." I grumble.

"Good times for a change," she sings quietly, ignorin' my words entirely. "See the luck I've have can make a good man turn bad. So please, please, please, let me, let me, let me," she pauses, suckin' in a breath. "Let me get what I want this time."

I let my heavy eyes close.

"So for once in my life, let me get what I want. Lord knows it would be the first time."

(Chloe's POV)

I open my eyes just a sliver as the sun pours through the netting of our tent. Daryl's still asleep and I know we have to get up and deal with Randal but I don't want to wake him. I roll over toward him, tracing the lines of his perfect face with my finger tips. Down his forehead, over the slope of his nose, the outline of his lips, all the way to his chin. I pull myself into a sitting position, noticing Daryl's wadded up red bandanna in the corner, in desperate need of a wash again after last night. That poor thing has caught more spunk than most pornstars. I smile, shaking my head and tossing it into the dirty clothes hamper. I tug off my pink fuzzy socks, my underwear and shirt joining them as I dress for the day in a pair of knit leggings and a quarter sleeve gray dress. This is what I was wearing the night we left the city, the night that started all this. I lay out the pair of Daryl's jeans that had the hole in the knee, I finally sewed a patch into it before bed last night. This pair will have to do until I get around to fixing the rest. Unlike my mother I wasn't blessed with an abundance of patience so mending things isn't exactly my forte. I probably ended up stabbing the needle into my own skin more often than into the fabric but still it got the job done. I brush my hair out before weaving it into french braided pigtails. Without a single sound Daryl is behind me, years of hunting has given him the ability to scare the shit out of me without even meaning to. "Jesus, you can't do that to me." I scold him, earning me a husky chuckle and a tug on the end of my braids.

"You look beautiful." He kisses my forehead once, stroking his thumb over my cheek, pressing against the indent of my dimple.

"Thanks. Here," I hold up the pants to him.

"What tha hell's this?" He asks.

"A patch, I fixed them."

"Ya stitched a girly patch inta my favorite jeans ya lil punk." Daryl snatches the material away from me.

"It's not girly." I cross my arms over my chest.

"It's pink." He argues, shaking his head.

"It's red." He glares at me, still not buying it, "fine. Technically it's magenta but that's all we had so suck it up."

He changes his boxers before pulling them on, "I guess it ain't too bad."

"Told you."

"Thank ya for my girly patch baby." He says finally, bumping his shoulder against mine.

"You're welcome and there's more where that came from."

"Got any other colors atleast?"

"I'll try to find some ok? Maybe blue or green."

"Mkay. Let me get dressed, we'll grab Sophia and head down ta tha barn. See what she knows about this kid. Whatever she don't know we'll get outta him soon enough."

"Yeah, we will." I nod, pecking his cheek. "I'll be right outside, I smell bacon."

He frowns, putting a hand on my belly, "it's really gonna start growin' huh."

"Mhm, my mom thinks I'll pop in the next few weeks."

"But ya feel ok. Don't ya?" He cocks his head to the side.

"I feel fine." I nod, smoothing over the worry line between his brows with my finger.

He clears his throat, "go on an' get that baby fed, I'll meet ya there."

I pull his hand to my lips for a kiss before letting it drop back to his side. He's got that look, he's worried but doesn't want to tell me why. Giving me one last forced smile he unzips the tent for me, closing it quickly once I'm out. Did he change his mind about the baby? Does he not want it anymore? Does he not want me anymore? No. Don't go there, that's dumb, Daryl loves you. I assure myself, I just wish he'd talk to me instead of just brooding in his Darylish way. Mom is hunched over the fire, pressing the strips of bacon into the pan with her metal spatula so they sizzle even more. My mouth is watering already.

"Good morning." Sophia says as I sink into the blue folding chair around the fire.

"Morning Lovey, how's your arm?" I ask.

"It's alright." She shrugs before plopping down into my lap.

"Ow," I laugh, "you are not as a light as you used to be."

"I know you wanted to ask me a couple things about Randal." She says matter of factly.

"Yeah, I just wanted to see if you could tell me anything before we go down there." I catch a lock of her hair between my fingers.

"I thought I was going with you to talk to him."

"I'm not sure that's the best idea."

"Why not?"

"I don't want you down there is you don't have to be."

"Come on, I don't want to fight. I'm just gonna follow you anyway." She retorts arching an eyebrow at me.

"You're a brat, you know that?"

"Sure do," she giggles and I roll my eyes. I can't stay mad at her, never could.

"Food's ready," Mom smiles, putting it onto plates for everyone.

"Go get me a plate, make it up to me." I nod towards the fire.

She climbs off of me closing the distance between her and mom with the food. Daryl stepping passed them both his eyes falling heavy on me. What is wrong baby? Let me make it better. He looks away after a moment, sitting down to eat his breakfast in silence. I scarf down the bacon and eggs, my cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. I can't remember anything ever tasting so good. I can't help the groan that escapes me.

"Are you alright?" T-Dog asks in response to my outburst, his face full of concern.

"Mhm." I nod. "Just really hungry."

"Ok then." He steps away.

Get it together Chloe. You just had a full blown foodgasm and you're not even into your second trimester. I finish breakfast quickly, and quietly thank God; waiting for Sophia and Daryl to do the same so we can finally get this show on the road. Trudging down to the barn with Sophia in tow Daryl turns the combination into the padlock. Pulling it off the door so it can open freely. The boy inside still sleeping, his back leaning against the wall he's handcuffed to.

"Well?" I turn to Sophia.

"Yeah, that's Randal." She confirms.

"Did he ever try to-"

"No," she cuts me off. "But he did know Tim was taking me out to look for you." She shifts under my gaze.

"Do you think he knew what that bastard was gonna do ta ya?" Daryl asks impatiently.

"Daryl, language." I shoot him a warning look.

"Sorry." He holds his hands up, "but did he seem like tha type?"

"I don't know." Sophia shrugs, "can't we just let him go?"

"Hell no."

"What are you gonna do to him?" She wonders.

"Whatever I have to, I'm gonna find out where the rest of that group is." I tell her truthfully, I can't have people like that this close to us. Not around her, not around Carl, not around the baby.

"You don't have to-" She starts to argue.

"Sophia look at me, what that one man did was terrible but he was alone and you said that. Maybe it was just him that needed to be eliminated and that's fine. But these people Randal was with tried to come here, they tried to take this farm. They tried to kill Daryl, Glenn, Rick and Hershel. When we came to help they were firing at me and Maggie too. It wasn't just you, these are not good people."

"I don't want anything bad to happen to you." She hangs her head, blonde hair falling away from her barrettes and down over her face.

"And I don't want anything bad to happen to you." I push the stray locks behind her ears. "Daryl and I are going to have to ask him a lot of questions. And if he doesn't answer right away..."

"You're gonna make him talk." She finishes for me.

"Yeah." I whisper.

"Ok." Sophia nods, "good luck with your iinterrogation, I hope you get the answers you're looking for."

(Daryl's POV)

"Rise and shine." Chloe kicks tha kid's bad leg just above tha knee.

"Ouch! What the hell lady?" Randal cries out like a lil bitch.

"Get up, don't make this any harder than it has to be." She says, her mouth set in a firm line.

"What do you want from me?" He asks in a whimper.

"Here's how this is going to work, we didn't leave you on that fence to die because I have questions. You told me you had answers. Make yourself useful to me and maybe you get to live. You try to pull anything stupid or withhold information then I will put you back on that fence and leave you there. Got it?"

"I already told you, they left me I don't know where they went. Your people saved me. I like your kid sister, I'm the one that brought her in, I'm the one that found her in the woods. I didn't know what Tim was gonna do out there you have to believe me." Randal snivels.

"I didn't say anything about Tim." Chloe says slowly, her warm eyes gone frigid. Like lookin' at a completely different person.

"Listen I was just-"

"So what you really just told me is that either A, you knew what he planned to do to her or B, he came back and bragged about it. Is he alive?" She demands.

"I don't know."

She punches him, hard. She's gonna hurt herself worse.

"Chloe hold up." I stop her and I swear she's gonna rip my head off.

"Thank you mister, this is all really a misunderstanding."

"Let me." I say by way of explanation and she relaxes marginally, realizin' that I'm still on her side.

"Oh come on guys-"

"No you come on ya sorry prick! Tell me where that guy is who put his hands on that lil girl." I spit between my teeth.

"I don't know! I swear I'm telling the truth." He's just spewin' more lies.

"Bullshit." I punch him.

"Ok! Ok. It wasn't just him, there was a couple different guys who... We have a big group, men, women, and kids just like you people. But we'd go out and scavenge, just us guys. One night we came across a camp, this man and his two daughters; real young. Real cute; and they didn't even kill em after, they just made him watch...his daughters. But I didn't touch em. It was them that was bad it wasn't me." I hit him again, three times over.

"But you stayed." Chloe seethes from behind me.

"I thought I'd have a better chance with them."

"I should kill you." Chloe lunges for him, her knife at his throat, hands shakin' somethin' fierce. When she blinks, hot, angry tears pour onta her cheeks but I don't stop er.

"Please," he cries, "please, you don't wanna do this I know you don't."

"You're not giving me a choice. You don't get to live, people like you...you don't get to just LIVE!" I never seen her like this before, not even close.

"Chloe don't," we whip our heads aroun', it's Sophia. Standin' in tha doorway, "it doesn't always have to be you." She pulls tha pistol out from behind her back, aimin' it at Randal.

"Put the gun down Sophia." I move toward her slowly, she's just a kid. She shouldn't have ta kill nobody. She shouldn't have ta carry that aroun' for tha rest a her life.

"No. If anyone's gonna kill him...it's gonna be me. He knew about Tim, knew about how he was and he still let me go out there with him. Alone. My sister is right, you don't deserve to live. Because you didn't help those girls, you didn't say anything, because you didn't try to help me. I almost died, I lost my arm. You and the other guys you were with shot at my sister, shot at the rest of my family and for that you're gonna die." She lowers the gun, slippin' it back inta place behind her. "But not now, not today."

(Unknown POV)

We're racing down the road when we see it, at first we just thought it was a lame brain. The closer we got we realized it was a person, a man wearing a brown shirt and tan pants. His hair shaved close to his head, carrying a rolled up sleeping bag on his back. We roll up next to him, "hey." I call to him.

"Hey." He nods.

"You got a camp?" Hunter asks, leaning over the console to get a better look at him.

"Naw man, not anymore." He says, rubbing at the back of his head.

"You want one?" I ask.

He turns to me with a smile. "Yeah."

"Hop in, we're goin' home." I slap my hand against the roof twice.


	18. Whoever's Fault It Is Or Was

(Glenn's POV)

"Hey you." I wave over to Chloe, sitting in front of the barn door.

"Hey." She smiles, bringing a hand up to her brow to block the sun as she looks up at me.

"Brought you some pregnant lady stuff." I sit down next to her to with my bag of tricks.

"What the hell is pregnant lady stuff?" She laughs.

"Pickles, a couple magazines, tissues. Stuff you need when you're pregnant." I shrug.

"Ok Mary Poppins." Chloe replies sarcastically, taking the pickles from me and popping off the top.

"I got you this too, from the pharmacy, last time." I pull the book from the bottom. "I thought it'd a good read for you and Daryl; if he reads."

"He reads," Chloe rolls her eyes at me, "what to expect when you're expecting." She breathes, running her fingers over the title lettering. "Does it have a chapter about what to do while pregnant during the apocalypse?"

"I think they must have missed that one." I sigh.

"Damn."

"Things are good right now, you know," I say, looking off back toward camp. "You don't have to be out here."

"I do."

"Why?"

"I want to make sure things stay good."

"You think those assholes from Randal's group are gonna show up here?" I ask, fishing out a pickle from the jar.

"They might," she shrugs, "or Shane might. Or a walker, or a stranger. You never know."

"I respect your mama bearness, but let's say shit does go down. No matter how good a shot you are...you shouldn't be out here."

"Because I'm pregnant? Or because you think I'm losing my mind too?" She peers over at me mid chew.

"Nobody thinks that."

"Yeah, they do. You didn't see me in that barn, you didn't see the way Daryl was looking at me after. Sophia won't talk to me. I get it, I'm messed up."

"You messed up, you're not messed up. There's a difference." I correct her. Between her and Daryl sometimes I really don't know who ranks higher in the self loathing department.

"I have this darkness inside of me Glenn. I didn't see it before because I didn't want to, but I do now. I was gonna kill that kid. Sophia stopped me, I wouldn't listen. It was her choice not mine, I forced that gun into her hand, she's just a baby. My Dad was just like that."

"You know that's not true. That apple fell far from the tree Chlo."

"When things were good he was really good, but when they were bad," she pauses. "He was like a whole other person."

"The night they dropped the bombs on the city you were there for me, you didn't know me; but you were there for me. You're family, bad people don't do things like that; bad people don't care."

"Do you really believe that?" Her head clunks back onto the wooden door.

"Of course I do. Ever since we lost you and Sophia on the highway it's like you lost your mojo."

"Time to get it back."

"We're slightly limited due to your condition," I say, earning me a death glare. "But we can work around that."

"Well then, looks like we just got the band back together." And a high five seals the deal. "Maggie's gonna be thrilled."

"Daryl too." I stand up brushing off my jeans.

"Ecstatic." Chloe laughs, tighten the ponytail atop her head. "They're probably just tired of us doing stupid shit."

"Let's be real, we're never gonna stop doing stupid shit."

(Sophia's POV)

I run my hand over the front of my jeans, wiping the sweat from my palm. I'm just gonna do it. I tell myself, I'm gonna go up to the tent and talk to Chloe and make her understand that I'm- turning around...I can't do this. She's too mad, I'll just wait.

"You a'right kid?" Daryl calls after me. Crap.

"Me? Uh yeah of course I'm ok, why wouldn't I be?" I shift from my feet uncomfortably.

"Mmm mmm," he hums. "Maybe cause ya done came all tha way down here an' back 'bout ten times. Maybe cause when ya lie tha right side a your mouth twitches, just like somebody else I know."

"What? No it doesn't." I shake my head.

"Whatever kid." He huffs, turning his attention back to the arrows he's sharpening.

"I need to see my sister." Stand up straight, demand the respect that you deserve.

"Yeah you an' me both. But somethin' tells me that ain't happenin' anytime soon."

"Well what'd you do to her?" I ask.

"Me?" He tosses the arrows down, "I didn't do nothin', didn't have a chance to. Chloe took off this mornin'."

"Well go find her, you're a tracker right?"

"I track animals lil girl, not people that don't wanna be found. You're lookin' for your sister you're barkin' up tha wrong tree." Daryl spits down at the ground.

"Do you even love Chloe?"

"Come on."

"I'm serious."

"Why do ya hate me kid? What did I do?" He cups his hand over his mouth, lighting a cigarette.

"Those are bad for you."

"Why do you care?"

"I love my sister and she loves you, so I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you. Even though you're supposed to protect her and you didn't, you still don't. You let her get bit by a walker, you let her get shot by Shane, you weren't gonna stop her from killing Randal, you got her pregnant. People die having babies. Especially now!" I march right up to him, poking my finger into his chest.

"Don't ya think I know that? Ya thought what? Hmm? Ya thought that I wanted this? That I did this on purpose? I would never do anythin' ta try an' hurt her. She..." He stops yelling and all of the sudden he's not mad anymore, he looks; heartbroken.

"She what?" I wonder.

"Is everythin'." He says, so softly I almost miss it, "she is everythin' ta me."

"Did you tell Chloe that?"

"She knows." He shakes his head at me.

"You should say it more. Maybe then she wouldn't be out there looking for whatever she's looking for; because she'd know that she already has it here. With you."

He sighs, "been tryna help her, I just don't know how."

"Why are you so scared?" I ask.

"Tired a gettin' hurt, tired a losin' people."

"So you just stopped caring?"

"Not 'bout her. Care 'bout ya, your Ma, this group. Care 'bout things, for tha first time in a long time."

And for the first time I get it, why him, why her, why them together. "Maybe you fix each other."

"Maybe we do."

(Chloe's POV)

"How exactly is this supposed to help?" I frown, my eyebrows pulling together.

"Yoga is good for you. Helps relieve stress." Glenn replies calmly, ignoring my hostility.

"I'm not stressed."

He glares at me.

"Fine, just a little." I hold up both hands in defeat.

"Do you have a name?" Glenn asks, sinking into yet another position.

"Hell no," I laugh.

"Well are there any you like?"

"I'm barely pregnant." It's only been a week since Daryl broke the news.

He ignores me. "So for a girl you like..."

"Don't know."

"And for a boy?"

"Can we talk about something else?"

"You guys good?" Glenn pries on.

"I don't know. At first he was happy and I was the one freaking out. Now he's freaking out, which is only freaking me out more; because I was just getting used to the idea of it. Me and Daryl and our baby, being a family. The kind of family neither of us ever had. I want to give that to him." I want to give him everything. I want to give that to myself.

"If anything happened to you...I'm not sure if he could come back from that. If he thinks this baby might take you away from him it'd be hard for him to get attached, you know that."

I mentally slap myself, hard, "I didn't think about that."

"That is why I'm here." He tips his baseball cap at me. "The great Glenn Rhee knows all."

"Teach me more oh great one."

"Shh," his playful tone is gone, "did you hear that?"

"What?" I scan the area for walkers. "My voice dripping sarcasm?"

"Seriously dude." He grabs me roughly, dragging me behind the tree that had once been split by lightning.

"Oh shit." I breathe when I realize exactly what he was talking about, and they're headed straight for home.

(Maggie's POV)

I don't start worryin' until well after the sun goes down. Glenn can do what he wants, he's grown, but he always comes back. I hope he's alright. Just before dinner Daryl comes into the kitchen lookin' for Chloe. "Haven't seen her."

"Carol thinks she mighta left with Glenn." He runs his hand over the strap of the crossbow.

"So then they're still out." I shrug noncommittally.

He grunts mutterin' somethin' under his breath.

"It's hardly like they ran off together."

"Ya think they got inta some kinda trouble?"

"They're probably just havin' a good time." I tell him, no reason to get worked up. "Come strolling in with some ridiculous story about-"

"Daryl," Rick interrupts from the doorway, "do you have a minute?"

"Everythin' ok?" I butt in.

"It's Randal, he's gone." Rick says, keepin' his voice low.

"What do ya mean he's gone?" Daryl takes a step closer.

"I mean tha shed was blown wide open, somebody busted the lock."

"You see Glenn out there?" I clear my throat. "Chloe?"

"They're out?" Rick taps his fingers against the grip of his gun.

"Since this mornin'." I add.

"I'll grab T. We need to find 'em." Rick says, turnin' to leave the room.

"Hey girl what tha hell are ya doin'?" Daryl grabs my arm when I go to follow Rick.

"Comin'. Glenn's our there, no way in hell I'm waitin' around." I scoff, brushing passed him.

"Ya even know how to use a gun?" He asks skeptically.

"Don't patronize me, I grew up on a farm."

"A'right." He hands over the piece stuffed into his back pocket.

"Everyone else stay in the house and lock the doors." Rick says once the rest of the group is inside.

"Daryl," Sophia calls out for him. "My sister-"

"I'm goin' ta get 'er kid." He assures the little girl.

Then without preamble she throws her arm around him. At first he doesn't know what to do with himself, but then he's huggin' her back; smoothin' his hand over her hair.

"Be safe, we need you." She says, pullin' away and watchin' us go.

"I'm sure they're ok." T-Dog offers as we head across the grass into the tree line.

"We should split up, give us a better chance of findin' Glenn and Chloe." Rick suggests and although splittin' up sounds like a bad idea we need to move fast.

"What about Randal?" T asks.

"We don't want him gettin' back ta his group, whoever finds him do what you gotta do. Meet back at the house when it's done." Rick looks back toward the house.

I nod, pullin' the gun from the waistband of my jeans. "Come on."

Me and Daryl break off, headin' away from the barn and horse stables.

"Did ya hear that?" He holds a hand up, motionin' for me to wait.

The barely audible crunchin' of a leaf, "animal."

"Nah." He raises his crossbow, could be Glenn, could be Randal, could be Chloe, could be somethin' worse. Roundin' the tree a few feet ahead I hear scufflin' and then nothin'. I swallow my nerves before closin' the distance between us.

"Where's Glenn?" My heart sinks when I see her. Alone. Blonde wisps framin' her face spattered in crimson, clothes stained with blood.

"Shane is back." Chloe whispers, her voice low and hoarse, like she'd been screamin' for a long time. "He's with Randal and a few other guys, ten maybe. They were coming for the farm. We overheard them, they didn't know we were out here. Me and Glenn were trying to set up a distraction. Pick them off one at a time. One of them said something about the rest of their group coming soon. We should have just come back."

"Where is Glenn?" I repeat quietly, suddenly very afraid of the answer.

"A couple of the guys split off, they ran into us. We got separated, I don't know where he is, I've been trying to find him. I'm sorry Maggie, he's out here because of me." She leans farther into Daryl's embrace.

Not his blood, that's somethin' atleast. "Are you ok?" That's what's important now, that the two of them are alright. Whoever's fault it is or was doesn't matter.

"I only got three of them. I could have done more but I let Glenn take my gun. I didn't hear it fire, if he was in trouble he would have fired."

"He's gon be fine." Daryl assures Chloe softly, checkin' her over for any sign of damage. Aside from a couple scratches and a bruise the shape of a hand print over her neck she doesn't seem any worse for wear.

"We'll find Glenn, the farm is safe." I say more for my own sanity than for her.

We hear a gunshot then, that changes everythin'.


End file.
